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Pacific Theolo2;icaI Seminary. I 



ALCOVE, 



SHELF, 






i»i»i»|Wii»lPWWWipil»iM 



LECTURES 



ON 



FEMALE SCRIPTURE CHARACTERS. 



BY WILLIAM JAY. 

AUTHOR OF THK '' MORNING AND liVKNIlJo EXKRCISKS 



"Favor is deceitful, and beauiy is vain ; but a woman that feareth 

the Lord, she shall be praised." 
" Who can find a virtuous woman ? for her price is far above rubies." 

Book of Proverbs. 



NEW YORK: 

ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS, 

No. 285 BROADWAY. 

1854. 






iQIft 

B^rcrsm Smith 
rvififcfi 15; 1934 



STERffiOTYPBD BY PRINTBD BY 

THOMAS B. SMITH, E O. JENKINS, 

216 William St., N. Y. 114 Nassan St. 






> 



DEDICATION. 



TO THE EIGHT HOKORABLE 

THE DOWAGER COUNTESsloF DUCIE. 

Madam, 

Influenced and /encouraged bj my 
knowledge of your character, and by tbe friendsliip 
you have shown me, I never, for a moment, thought 
of the publication of the following Lectures, with- 
out the desire and the purpose of inscribing them 
to your Ladyship. 

I have no relish for the common, fulsome, servile 
Dedications, which equally degrade their authors, 
and disgrace their receivers. I avail myself of 
EHhu's declaration : "I know not to give flattering 
titles ; in so doing, my Maker would soon take me 
away." 



IV DEDICATION. 

But I dedicate this work to your LadysHp, in 
token of my full persuasion — ^that you realize in 
your experience what it pleads for in doctrine — 
that you exemplify in your practice what it en- 
joins as duty — and that, while many in superior 
life desecrate their rank, talents, and influence in 
the service of pride, dissipation, and vice, you con- 
secrate all by which you are distinguished to the 
honor of Grod, and the service of your gener- 
ation : — and, therefore, that such a character is en- 
titled to public notice and respect, as well as to the 
acknowledgments of private regard and esteem. 

Your Ladyship has been recently visited with a 
loss, the magnitude of which it would be diffi.cult 
to express. 

In the lamented death of Earl Ducie, has been 
removed the singularly attached husband ; the 
tender father of a large and noble family ; the de- 
light of his friends and acquaintances ; the praise 
of his neighborhood ; and the subject of a widened 
fame in the country of which he was the ornament 
and benefactor. 

It would not, perhaps, be easy to find another 
in the same elevated sphere, so free from preju- 
dice and bigotry ; so firm in the essentials, and so 
tolerant in the circumstantials of rehgion ; so open 



DEDICATION. V 

and fearless in the profession of the Truth as it 
is in Jesus ; so abhorrent of hypocrisy, formahsm, 
and cant ; so attached to the Sacred Volume ; so 
concerned for its diffusion ; so regardful of the poor, 
and so anxious for their instruction. 

It must be a source of much consolation, and 
gratitude, that the solemn dispensation has been 
accompanied with such displays of Divine good- 
ness and grace in the experience of the deceased; 
and that your Ladyship, under the mighty pres- 
sure, has been not only sustained, but resigned, 
and enabled to say, "It is the Lord; let him do 
what seemeth him good." 

That the memory of one, so dear to your Lady- 
ship, may be blessed ; that his example may be 
followed ;* that instead of the father may be the 
children; and that you may find the Grod whom 
you serve to be "a Judge of the widows, in His 
holy habitation ;" — ^and in your own ; 

Is the Prayer of 

Your Ladyship's 

Much obliged Friend and Servant, 

Wm. jay. 

Peeoy Place, Bath, 
December 1853. 



PREFACE. 

When", after a long and painful illness, I re- 
covered a degree of ability for labor, though quite 
unequal to any kind of public service, I thought, 
that in order to be not wholly useless, I might do a 
little in some other way. For this purpose I began 
to look over sundry of my old manuscripts. Among 
them I found a number of Lectures which I had 
dehvered more than forty-eight years ago. They 
proved to be on the Female Biography of the Old 
and New Testament Scriptures ; and were occasioned, 
at the. time, by my reflecting on the importance of 
female character, and on the influence which women 
must naturally and necessarily have, in every con- 
dition, period, and relation in life ; so that if good 
should be done to ihem^ good would be done to 
many^ in a very wide and varied degree. 

But I was also aware of the dif&culty and deli- 
cacy of addressing women from the pulpit distinct- 
ively. With regard to them^ praise, though deserved, 
might seem flattery ; while just reproof might be 
construed into common-place reflection on the sex. 



Vlll PKEFACE. 

But in commenting on absent characters, indelibly 
portrayed ages back, I saw that a preacher might 
feel himself unfettered ; and be able to deal freely 
with female excellencies and faults, leaving the 
application to the consciences and the discretion 
of his present audience. 

These Lectures I delivered on Sabbath evenings, 
from short notes; but afterwards, as soon as pos- 
sible, while the subjects were fresh in my recollec- 
tion, I wrote them at full length, or nearly so. 

This was the case with all of them except the 
Lectures on the Poor Widow, on the Elect Lady, 
and on the Mother of our Lord. The two former 
of these were, indeed, so far written out that I 
have recently been able, with tolerable ease, to com- 
plete them ; but those (for I had jive) on the Virgin 
Mary, had been left in so very imperfect a state, 
that I found it was too much for me to think of 
filling them up at that time. 

Though indisposition, and various interruptions 
prevented me for awhile, I hoped for some future 
leisure moments, when I might recover and tran- 
scribe what I had dehvered on this extraordinary 
personage ; but, alas ! the moments never came, or 
came in vain. 

I lament this, as I had thought much on the 
subject ; and had wished to steer between the 



PREFACE. IX 

idolatries of the Eomish Cliurcli, and tlie excessive 
fears of some Protestants, which have betrayed them 
into a degree of the opposite extreme. 

The first Lecture turned upon Mary's descent, 
her condition in hfe, and her maternity : the second, 
on the sahitation of the angel, her visit to Eliza- 
beth, and her song : the third, on her deliverance 
and purification: the fourth, on her residence at 
Nazareth, her finding her son among the doctors in 
the temple, and her conduct at the marriage in 
Cana of Galilee : the last, on her attendance at the 
cross, her being committed to the care of John, and 
her appearance in an upper room at Jerusalem with 
the eleven Apostles. 

Here would have been much to observe, much 
to wonder at, much to admire, much to imitate, but 
nothing to deify. She was doubtless a wise, pious, 
much-honored character ; but she was not free from 
human infirmities : entitled to great respect and 
veneration, but not to adoration and worship. 

Let me add, by way of advertisement to my 
readers ; — 

That my plan was not to comprehend even all 
the more remarkable females noticed in the sacred 
writings ; but to make such a selection from them as I 
thought might be rendered interesting and useful : — 

That, notwithstanding the avowed purpose of 



X PEEFACE. 

these Lectures, I never intended to regard my 
female liearers so exclusively, as to have notliing 
for other attendants : — 

That, as to females themselves, my aim was not 
only to render them amiable, and prudent, and use- 
ful; but also " partakers of the benefit," and '* heirs 
of the grace of life :" — 

That, as I could not be satisfied without, in some 
measure, evangelizing my subject; for this purpose, 
I included several individuals, not so much as 
examples of female manners and virtues, as in- 
stances of the freeness and power of divine grace : — 

And that as the characters lectured upon were 
independent of each other, I did not treat them in 
the order of their occurrence in the Scriptures ; but 
in the order in which they excited and impressed 
my own mind. In like manner, with regard to the 
perusal, no advantage is lost by the want of con- 
secutiveness in the arrangement. They are thus 
furnished by the sacred writers themselves. 

Percy Place, Bath, 
December 1853. 

*^* While the last sheet of this work "was passing through the 
press, the venerable Author was summoned to his rest. He died on 
Tuesday, December 2*7, 1853 ; aged 84. " Mark the perfect man, and 
behold the upright ; for the end of that man is peace," 



CONTENTS. 



LECTUEE I. 

THE SHUNAMITE— Part I. 

Page 
" And he said unto him, Say noTV unto her, Behold, thou hast 
been careful for us with all this care ; what is to be done for 
thee ? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the 
captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among 
mine own people." — 2 Kmas, iv. 13 1 

LECTUEE n. 

THE SHUNAMITE.-Part II. 

" And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunamite. So he 
called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, 
Take up thy son. Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and 
bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went 
out."— 2 Kings, i v. 36, 37 17 

LECTUEE in. 

THE SHUNAMITE.— Part III. 

" And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had 
Restored a dead body to life, that, behold the woman, whose 



XU CONTENTS. 

Page 
Bon he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house, 
and for her land. And Gehazi said, My Lord, King, this 
is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to 
life." — 2 Kings, viii, 5 33 

LECTUEE lY 

MARY MAGDALENE.— Part L 

" Mary, called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils." — 
Luke, viii. 2 . . • 49 

LECTUEE Y. 

MARY MAGDALENE.— Part IL 

" Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, 
he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had 
cast seven devils." — Mark, xvi. 9 59 

LECTUEE YI. 

HANNAH .—Part I. 

" And she said. Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am 
the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. 
For this child I prayed ; and the Lord hath given me my pe- 
tition which I asked of him." — 1 Sam. i. 26, 2*7 . . . Yl 

LECTUEE YIL 

HANNAH .—Part H. 

" For this child I prayed ; and the Lord hath given me my peti- 
tion which I asked of him," — 1 Sam. i. 27 . . . .86 



CONTENTS. XIU 

LECTURE VIII. 

ANNA, THE PROPHETESS. 

Page 

And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of 
Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser ; she was of a great age, and 
had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity ; 
and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, 
which departed not from the temple, but served God with 
fastings and prayers night and day. And she, coming in that 
instant, gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of 
him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." — 
Luke, ii. 36-38 103 



LECTURE IX. 

THE WOMAN OF CANAAN. 

' Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre 
and Sidon, And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of 
the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying. Have mercy on 
me, O Lord, thou Son of David ; my daughter is grievously 
vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And 
his disciples -came and besought him, saying. Send her away ; 
for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not 
sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came 
she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he 
answered and said. It is not meet to take the children's bread 
and to cast it to dogs. And she said. Truth, Lord ; yet the 
dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. 
Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is 
thy faith : be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her 
daughter was made whole from that very hour." — Matthew, 
XV. 21-28 119 



XIV CONTENTS. 



LECTURE X. 

THE WOMAN WHO ANOINTED THE SAVIOUR'S 
HEAD. 

Page 

'Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this Gospel shall be 
preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath 
done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her." — Mark, xiv. 9 136 



LECTURE XL 

THE POOR WIDOW. 

" And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the 
people cast money into the treasury ; and how many that 
were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor 
widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 
And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, 
Verily I say unto you. That this poor widow hath cast more 
in than all they who have cast into the treasury : for all 
they did cast in of their abundance ; but she of her want did 
cast in aU that she had, even all her living." — Mark, xii. 41-44 154 



LECTURE Xn. 

THE PENITENT SINNER. 

" And he said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman ?" — ^Lukb, vii. 
44 ... 168 

LECTURE XIII. 

THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA.— Part L 

"There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus 
saith unto her. Give me to drink." — John, iv. 1 . . . 189 



CONTENTS. XV 

LECTUEE XIV. 

THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA.— Part II. 

Page 

" Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he." — John, iv. 
26 ... 206 

LECTUEE XY. 

THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA.— Part HI. 

*' Come see a man, who told me all things that ever I did : is 
not this the Christ ? Then they went out of the city, and 
came unto him." — John, iv. 29, 30 218 

LECTUEE XYI. 

THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA.— Part IV. 

*' Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh har- 
vest ? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on 
the fieltis, for they are white already to harvest." — John, iv. 
35 233 

LECTUEE XYII. 

LYDIA. 

" And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, 
where prayer was wont to be made ; and we sat down, and 
spake unto the women who resorted thither. And a certain 
woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thy- 
atira, who worshipped God, heard us : whose heart the Lord 
opened, and she attended unto the things which were spoken 
of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, 



XVI CONTENTS. 



she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful 
to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she 
constrained us." — ^Acts, xvi. 13, 14, 15 247 



LECTUEE XYIII. 

DORCAS. 

" I^ow there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, 
which by interpretation is called Dorcas : this woman was 
full of good works and alms-deeds which she did. And it 
came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: 
whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper 
chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and 
the disciples had heard that Peter wns there, they sent unto 
him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come 
to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he 
was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and 
all the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats 
and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. 
But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; 
and turning him to the body, said, Tabitha, arise. And she 
opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And 
he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had 
called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it 
was known throughout all Joppa ; and many believed in the 
Lord."— Acts, ix. 36-42 266 



LECTUEE XIX. 

THE ELECT LADY. 

" The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love 
in the truth ; and not I only, but also all they that have 
known the truth ; for the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, 
and shall be with us forever." — 2 John, 1,2. . . . 286 



CONTENTS. XVU 

LECTURE XX. 

THE DEFORMED DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM. 

Page 
And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 
And, behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infir- 
mity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in 
nowise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called 
her to him, and said unto her, "Woman, thou art loosed from 
thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her : and imme- 
diately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the 
ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because 
that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, and said unto the 
people, There are six days in which men ought to work : in 
them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath 
day. The Lord then answered him, and said. Thou hypocrite, 
doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his 
ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And 
ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom 
Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from 
this bond on the Sabbath day ? And when he had said these 
things, all his adversaries were ashamed : and all the people 
rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him." 
Luke, xiii. 10-17 304 



LECTURE XXL 

MARTHA AND MARY. 

" Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a cer- 
tain village : and a certain woman named Martha received 
him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which 
also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was 
cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said. 
Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve 
alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus an- 
swered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful 



XVIU CONTENTS. 



and troubled about many things : but one thing is needful : 
and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be 
taken away from her." — Luke, x. 38, 42 . . . . 319 



LECTUEE XXII. 

LOT'S WIFE. 
Kemember Lot's Wife."— Luke, xvii. 32 . . 832 



LECTURE L 



THE SHUNAMITE. 

PART I. 

And he said unto bim, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been 
careful for us with all this care ; what is to be done for thee ? 
wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the 
host ? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people. 

2 KiNGS; iv. 13. 

Lord Bacon has remarked, tliat tlie Bible is like the 
land of Canaan, which flowed with milk and honey ; 
or, like the Garden of Eden, where the Lord God 
caused to grow out of the ground every tree that was 
pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The remark 
is as true as it is striking, and the more we examine 
the sacred volume, the more we shall perceive that it 
abounds not only with the nourishing but the deli- 
cious — not only with the profitable but the delightful. 
Its communications improve us while they entertain, 
and entertain us while they improve. 

Take the historical narratives. In these there is 
a charm which it is impossible fully to describe. Yet 
who has not perceived it? Who does not, when 
reading, feel a certain quality, which, while it serves 
to demonstrate the truth of the facts, seizes, engrosses, 
enchains his attention ? 

1 



25 LECTUKE I. 

One cause of this effect is, that the relation always 
states things just as they occurred; with the minute 
circumstances of time, place, and manner ; and states 
them so naturally, that they are rendered present, and 
seem to strike not only our imagination, but our very 
senses. We find ourselves witnesses — ^we are parties 
concerned. What is related is so plain in language, 
that a child can understand it, and so replete with 
importance, that a preacher may derive pages and 
volumes of instruction from it. 

Nothing exemplifies this observation more than the 
narrative we are now going to review ; for who ever 
read it once that did not wish to read it again and 
again ?• — It is the history of the Shunamite. 

We are told " She was a great woman." She was 
possessed of some considerable rank and fortune. But 
what are claims merely adventitious? Character is 
personal, and does not depend upon office, titles, or 
wealth ; and the Scripture lays so little stress on these 
things, that it never mentions them for their own sake, 
but only to remind us of their danger, to illustrate the 
grace of God in the preservation of those who are in- 
trusted with them, or to display moral and spiritual 
endowm.ents to advantage. For if persons possessed 
of genuine religion occupy a higher station, they are 
not only more tried than others, but more seen, more 
exemplary, more influential, and have more opportu- 
nities and means of usefulness. While others, by the 
obscurity of their condition, are like a candle placed 
under a bushel, they are like " a candle set on a can- 
dlestick, which giveth light to all that are in the house." 
They are " a city set on a hill which cannot be hid." 

" Not many mighty, not many noble are called." 



THE SIIUxVAMITE. 3 

But in all ages there have been some who have brought 
all their distinctions to the foot of the Cross, willing 
to part with all to purchase the pearl of great price. 
These have been so feW; as to make it obvious that 
the cause of religion has not been indebted for its 
support to worldly gTcatness, but to the power of 
God ; while they have been sufficiently numerous to 
remove the reproach of those who would conclude 
that the Gospel is only suited to the vulgar and 
illiterate, and to keep from absolute despair those 
who find t]iemselves awfully situated among the perils 
of eminence. "With God all things are possible." 

This Shunamite, therefore, will be found no less 
remarkable for her goodness than for her greatness. 
The place of her residence was Shunem, a town in 
the tribe of Issachar, in the road between Samaria 
and Carmel. This road Elisha often travelled, and 
one day as he was going by, she gave him an invi- 
tation to her house. It does not appear that at this 
time she had any particular knowledge of him. It 
was therefore an act of hospitality rather than of 
friendship. But friendship was soon the result of 
kindness ; and we may observe that some of the most 
remarkable friendships that have ever been formed, 
have been formed incidentally. They have not 
grown out of any previous design, but have risen 
from casual intercourse, from some agreeable word, 
some seasonable attention, or the performance of some 
obliging office. 

Indeed, while we are doing good to others, we are 
always in the way of finding good for ourselves ; and 
the event before us brings to our recollection the 
words of the Apostle to the Hebrews, " Be not for- 



4 LECTUEE I. 

getful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have 
entertained angels unawares." This was the case 
with Abraham, this was the case with Lot, and this 
was nearly the case with the Shunamite. While they 
accommodated some of the Heavenly Host, she wel- 
comes a Prophet of the most High God. We cannot 
suppose that this will ever be our case, but it will be 
well for us to find at the Day of Judgment, that by the 
exercise of benevolence and liberality towards the poor, 
and destitute, and helpless, we have entertained not a 
prophet, nor an angel, but the Lord of all ; and to hear 
him say, " I was a stranger and ye took me in — ^inas- 
much as ye did it unto one of the least of these my 
brethren, ye did it unto me." 

Why was Elisha so backward to comply with this 
generous invitation ? Did he feel the embarrassment 
which has often appeared so formidable to men of 
retired habits at their introduction to company ? 
Was he unambitious of mixing with those above him 
in rank ? Was he ignorant of the character of this 
great and good woman ? Was he unwilling to give 
trouble ? Would he ascertain his welcome by impor- 
tunity ? However this may be, importunity was 
necessary. " She constrained him." 

Elisha was so satisfied and delighted with the re- 
ception he met with, that from this time '' as oft as 
he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread." 
But if she has gained his confidence, he has gained 
her veneration and esteem ; and, struck with her ob- 
servation of the simplicity of his manners, the sanctity 
of his life, the frequency and fervency of his devotions, 
she said unto her husband, " Behold now, I perceive 
that this is a holy man of God, which passeth by us 



THE SHUNAMITE. 5 

contmually. Let iis make a little chamber, I praj 
tliee, on tlie wall ; and let us set for Mm there a bed, 
and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick ; and it 
shall be, when he cometh to lis, that he shall turn 
in thither." There are two things in this design that 
are worthy of our remark. The one is, that she 
would not undertake this business wdthout the knowl- 
edge and consent of her husband. Nothing can atone 
for the want of confidence in the marriage state. By 
the very nature of their union, the parties have given 
up themselves to each other, and are no longer their 
own. They therefore should feel not only a com- 
munioE, but a community of joys and sorrows, and 
maintain a unity of views and interests. ISTothing is 
more likely to subtract from domestic happiness, than 
the discovery or apprehension of carrying on any 
separate design. How shameful is the conduct of 
some husbands. They gamble, they speculate in 
business, they entangle themselves in the affairs of this 
life, .and pull down ruin U23on their families, while 
their suffering wives (though perhaps reflected upon 
as in some measure the cause) know nothing till they 
feel the crash, and their hearts are desolate within 
them. 

You, therefore, my female friends, may see that I am 
far from wishing to consider this duty partially. But 
surely the obligation is mutual. Some would contend 
that it bears more strongly on you, owing to the 
order which Providence has established, and which the 
Scripture sanctions. But surely you will acknowledge 
that you are equally bound to observe it. Eemember, 
therefore, that by claim you ought to obtain everything 
that is reasonable ; and b}' amiablencss, by address, 



6 LECTURE I. 

by frankness, you may gain everytHng that is desir- 
able ; but flee artifice and concealment ; tliey are always 
exceptionable, tlie instruments of low, of little, of ig- 
noble minds. 

The other is the manner in which her generosity 
is exercised. It has been said that in all great 
exigencies male friendship is preferable ; but where 
comfort is concerned, and where as much depends on the 
mode of administration as on the thing itself, a female 
friend is above all things estimable. Not only is her 
benevolence more watchful, and prompt, and active, 
but more feehng and delicate. We have, frequently 
the substance of friendship without the ornament — we 
wound while we serve. Our hearts, like our fingers, 
are less tender, and we press the sore while we bind 
it up. We seldom know how to give importance to 
circumstances which have none in themselves. 

But how much of this do we discern in this Shunam- 
ite ? She discovers a sensibility that is never absent. 
It forgets nothing ; omits nothing. With the ex- 
temporaneousness of sentiment, and the judiciousness 
of plaUy she decides the whole case. She considers 
the office, the character, the dispositions and habits of 
the person she wishes to favor, and shows her respect 
in her kindness. No one circumstance of propriety 
and decency is overlooked. She considers that to a 
man of his turn of mind, retirement will be welcome. 
She determines, therefore, that his meditations shall 
not be disturbed and interrupted by the tumult of a 
family, and orders for him a separate apartment in 
the external part of the house. She reflects that 
it is a delicate thing to relieve a person so respect- 
able, and that in bestowing a benefit, the receiver 



THE SHUNAMITE. 7 

should not be made to feel unpleasantly his obligation. 
She resolves, therefore, that he shall enjoy the pleasure, 
so natural to man, of having something that lie can call 
his own, and which he may use at pleasure, and not 
be reminded of his dependence by each fresli invita- 
tion. She considers that a man of God will not 
look after finery and excess. ^Nothing, therefore, 
splendid or extravagant shall be furnished^ but every- 
thing that is needful for accommodation, repose, or 
use. " Let us set for him a bed, and a table, and a 
stool, and a candlestick." 

And herein the Shunamite appears to more advan- 
tage than Martha, who entertained our Lord and his 
disciples.^ Martha was a good w^oman, and W'hat she 
did flowed from the kindness of her heart ; but she 
did not discern both time and judgment. " She was 
cumbered about much serving ;" and to have a number 
of things, and in the nicest order, she was hurried, be- 
came impatient and fretful, and reproached her sister. 
Had she been providing for a company of newly-made 
gentry, luxurious merchants, or any of those " whose 
god is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who 
mind earthly things," it would have been in character; 
it would have gratified their hopes and wishes; tliey 
would have been ready to canonize her ; with them 
she would have been St. Martha ; but all this was 
lost, more than lost, on one who " had not where to 
lay his head," whose " kingdom was not of this world," 
who was more disposed to feed than to be fed, " who 
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and 
to give his life a ransom for many." 

The conduct of the Shunamite reminds us that 
there are better ways of showing our regard to min- 



8 LECTURE I. 

isters, than by entertainments unsnited to their cir- 
cumstances and calling, and which, if the j are in a proper 
state of mind, will give pain rather than pleasure. 
But while we would regulate, we would by no means 
wish to restrain the exercise of benevolence (if it be 
proper to call it so), towards those that watch for your 
souls. In our denominations, where they have no pa- 
rochial support, ministers are generally in dependent 
circumstances, and why should they blush to own it ? 
Expressions of kindness tend to keep alive affectionate 
regard ; but these expressions are more than needful 
and useful ; they are just, and that man of God de- 
grades his of&ce who looks upon them as charity or 
alm.s. It is easy to see that he has claims upon us. By 
devoting his time and his talents to our service, he effect- 
ually excludes himself from all those means of worldly 
aggrandizement that lie open to us, and which often 
enable us hj inferior abihties to rise in life. We are 
commanded "to know them who labor among us, 
and are over us in the Lord, and admonish us, and to 
esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake." 
"Let him," says the Apostle, "that is taught in the 
word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good 
things." " For it is v/ritten in the law of Moses, Thou 
shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out 
the corn. Doth God take care for oxen ? or saith he 
it altogether for our sakes ? For our sakes, no doubt, 
this is Y/ritten : that he that plougheth should plough 
in hope ; and that he that thresheth in hope should be 
partaker of his hope. If we have sown unto you 
spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your 
carnal things ? Even so hath the Lord ordained, that 
they who preach the gospel should live of the gospel," 



THE SHUNAMITE. 9 

And who was ever a loser by any tiling he did for 
the cause of God? "He that receiveth a prophet in 
the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's re- 
ward ; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the 
name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous 
man's reward ; and whosoever shall give to drink unto 
one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the 
name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in 
nowise lose his rcAvard." By making the Ark his guest, 
was Obed-edom a loser? "It was told King David 
saying, The Lord hath blessed the house of Obed- 
edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the 
Ark of God." 

Was the Shunamite a loser ? 

Behold ElisLa in his new little dwelling. A pious 
mind is always a grateful one, and gratitude consists 
in a disjjosition to return a favor received. He there- 
fore sends his servant with a message of thanks, 
and a -proposal of recompense. " Say now unto her, 
Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care ; 
what is to be done for thee ? Wouldst thou be spoken 
for to the king, or to the captain of the host ?" But 
how comes Elisha to be a favorite at court? And 
whence is it that he is able to introduce a petition 
with a probability of success, and to gain an honor 
or an office for a friend ? It was probably owing to 
the late miracle which he had wrought for Jehoram 
and his two royal allies, in furnishing them with water, 
and enabling the confederate army to gain a complete 
victory over the Moabites. However this may be, we 
behold here, what often takes place in hfe, wickedness 
connected with something like moral principle ; a re- 
gard for the godly, without any fear of God ; men 

1* 



10 LECTUEE I. 

SO generous as to give up anything but their sins; 
willing to relieve 'Hhe fatherless and widows in their 
affliction," but refusing to "keep themselves un- 
spotted from the world." Thus we see Jehoram, an 
idolater, yet honoring the man of Grod; resisting 
any attempt to procure a pious reformation, but ready 
to yield a political favor. In the Prophet we be- 
hold a most disinterested disposition. Far from making 
use of his influence to elevate himself, he employs it 
only to favor and gratify his Mends. A good man 
will principally cultivate and value the intercourse he 
may have with the rich and great, as it may be the 
means of enabling him to do good by helping the 
wants of others. 

But this good woman needs nothing from the 
higher powers. " I dwell among mine own people." 
"I am satisfied," as if she said, "with my present 
state. If it be destitute of some few things, it 
abounds with others much more essential to my wel- 
fare. I must fix limits somewhere to my hopes and 
wishes, and why not here ? What probabihty is there 
that I should be happier by the change or the eleva- 
tion ? I am fixed ; I am rooted ; I am sheltered, and 
I would not hazard the risk of transplantation." 

Here she appears in a new, but very instructive 
part of her character ; and here, my female readers, 
we particularly wish to recommend her example to 
your imitation. We mean not to censure ; but I be- 
lieve you will readily acknowledge that it is not every 
one of your sex that would have resisted the force of 
such a fiery trial. You must allow that your imagi- 
nations are lively, your impressions from certain ob- 
jects are rapid and strong, and your feelings, at the 



THE SHUNAMITE. 11 

sight of pomp and glitter, sometimes rather unmanage- 
able. It has been commonly, I do not say right- 
eously supposed, that yon are a little more volatile 
and restless in your disposition than the other sex; 
more easily attracted by new forms of dress and new 
modes of living ; and more alive to flattering distinc- 
tions. Hence, the mere prospect of rising has too 
frequently swallowed up every other consideration in 
the change of your situation, or of your condition. 
Hence, not a few of your sisters have sacrificed youth 
and beautj^ to disagreeable old age, tempted by finery 
and splendor' — a carriage or a title. Hence, in the 
disposal of their children, they have been seduced by 
the glaring to neglect the useful. Hence, husbands 
have more than once been urged to leave a humble 
but profitable line of business, to attempt something 
more genteel and extensive, by which they have been 
reduced and impoverished. Hence, now and then at 
least, launchings out beyond the income, in house, 
and table, and furniture, and apparel ; and dishonesty 
itself has aj^peared less disgraceful and intolerable than 
being out of the fashion. 

I feel therefore disposed to enlarge a little on this 
part of my subject, and to submit not only to your 
attention, but the attention of all, a few remarks, 
suited, by the Divine blessing, to produce in your 
minds the sentiment of this sober and contented Shu- 
namite. And, in the first place, let it be observed, that 
ambition has no bounds. You have now, perhaps, 
fixed your aim, and you imagine that if you could 
attain such a mark you should be satisfied, not re- 
collecting that when this is secured new necessities 
and desires will arise, and that the passions will always 



12 LECTURE I. 

be increased, not reduced, by indulgence. " Hence," 
says tlie excellent Bishop Hopkins, " whatever be onr 
condition, we still long for change, and can no more 
rest in a high state than in a low one. The servant 
thinks he shall be happy when he is made free. Is 
the freeman happy ? No ; but he will, as soon as he 
has gained such an estate. Is the rich man happy ? 
ISTo ; but he will, as soon as he is invested with such 
a title. Is the honorable happy ? No ; but he will, 
as soon as he is supreme. Is the sovereign happy? 
Ko ; but he will, as soon as he has tyrannized over 
all, and become universal monarch." Is Alexander 
happy ? He weeps for more worlds to conquer." '' It 
was, therefore," says the same writer, " a pertinent 
discourse which Cineas the philosopher held Tfith 
Pyrrhus, when dissuading him from war with Eome. 
And, sir, when you have conquered the Eomans, what 
will you do next ? Then we will cross over and take 
Sicily. And what will you do then? Then we 
will pass over to Africa and take Carthage. And 
what will you do after this ? Then we will fall upon 
Greece and Macedon, and recover what wq have lost 
there. And what then ? Then we will sit down and 
enjoy ourselves. And pray, sir, why cannot v\"e do 
this now ?" O ! let us ask our hearts the same ques- 
tion whenever we are suspending our liappiness 
upon the result of schemes and enterprises which will 
no more insure it than the circiimstances in vvdiich 
we are now found. 

Secondly. We know not how ~ we should feel in 
new and untried conditions of life. We can only 
judge according to our present views, but these are 
only suited to our present state. Different sentiments 



THE SHUNAMITE. 13 

will arise out of different circumstances, and it is im- 
possible for us to assume the feelings before we re- 
alize the events. Situations to wliicli we are not 
adapted by previous use, are likely to confound and 
embarrass us, rather than to afford us comfort or 
pleasure ; and habits are not easily formed or easily 
resigned. But the moral danger attending changes 
and elevations is still greater and more important ; and 
we ought always to be principally concerned for our 
spiritual safety and welfare. Surely a Christian will 
ask, is such a state more likely to wean me from the 
world, or advance the life of God in my soul ? Is it 
more likely to cherish devotion, or to chill my heavenly 
affections? And does not Hazael teach us that, in 
humbler life, we may sincerely execrate vices wdiich 
success and prosperity may harden us to commit? 
Have we not seen persons who were so promising, 
that we would have depended upon them if placed 
in any state of trial, whose table has proved a snare, 
and Avhose prosperity has destroyed them ; so that, in 
the worst sense of the word, they have become new 
creatures, and seem, as they rose, not onlj^ to have 
left their virtue, but even themselves behind ? And 
when so many have fallen — and we cannot be sure 
that we should stand — ^how is it that we are so anxious 
to be set in slippery places ? 

Thirdly. If happiness depends at all on worldly 
circumsta^nces, it is to be found in a mediocrity equally 
distant from indigence and superfluity — ^below envy 
and above contempt — and neither excluding sohtude 
or society. A bed is desu'able, but who sleeps the 
sounder for having the posts gilt? One staff in a 
journey is useful, but a large bundle of staves would 



14 LECTUKE I. 

only encumber the traveller. The garment that hangs 
off loose, and that which presses too tightty, are both 
unpleasant ; the thing is, to have something that will 
fit. So it is here ; and hence the wise as well as the 
good have always prayed with Agur — '' Give me 
neither poverty nor riches ; feed me with food con- 
venient for me; lest I be full and deny thee, and 
say, who is the Lord; or lest I be poor, and steal, and 
take the name of my God in vain." 

But fourikly^ The truth is, that happiness does not 
depend upon external things, but upon the principles 
and dispositions of the mind ; and therefore, that it is 
as accessible to us in our present state, as in any imag- 
inable one. Observe those who have risen in life. 
Have they advanced in contentment as they have in- 
creased in wealth or honor? They have gained by 
the ascent more awful responsibility, more arduous 
duty, more anxious care, more exposure to temptation. 
But what have they gained in solid satisfaction, in 
tranquillity, in liberty ? Ah ! how often have they re- 
turned to the edge of the hill, and, even with regrets, 
surveyed the vale below, where once they walked with 
God, and passed their days in innocence and repose ! 
What is the confession of Solomon, after a thousand 
trials ? — ■" All is vanity and vexation of spirit." 

God never designed that any of these things should 
satisfy us. In vain, therefore, we seek the living among 
the dead. In every such pursuit we only resemble 
children ascending hill after hill to catch the sky, 
which rests on none of them ; or a number of patients, 
who, by a change of posture, are seeking for the relief 
which can only come from an inward cure. We 
blame our portion for what is wrong in ourselves, and 



THE SHUNAMITE. 15 

forget that the ground of our discontent is not our 
wants, but our wishes. There is scarcely any con- 
dition so low but may satisfy our wants ; and there 
is none so high as to satisfy our desires. If we live 
according to the laws of nature and reason, we shall 
never be poor ; if we live according to those of fancy 
and opinion, we shall never be rich. 

Cultivate, Therefore, happiness within. Seek it not 
in a superior station, but in a contented mind. En- 
deavor to reduce your wishes, rather than to enlarge 
your means. Guard against a roving mind. Be \ 
keepers and lovers of home. Make the most of pres- ; 
ent enjoyment, and of actual possession, in distinction y' 
from future and imaginary. 

Enter that school in which the Apostle studied, and 
was enabled to say, " I know both how to be abased, 
and I know how to abound : everywhere, and in all 
things, I am instructed both to be full and to be hun- 
gry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do 
all things through Christ, which strengthened me." 
Confide in the providence of your heavenly Father, 
as concerned in fixing the bounds of your habitation, 
and as engaged to make all things work together for 
your good. Leave him to choose your inheritance for 
you, and then, in the end, you will be able to acknowl- 
edge, " The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places ; 
yea, I have a goodly heritage." 

You would do well, also, to remember that this is 
not your rest ; that you are only strangers and pilgrims 
upon earth ; and that, in a very little time, it will be 
a matter of indifference to you whether you have 
been poor or rich, splendid or obscure. 

Seek after a well-grounded hope of heaven. This will 



16 LECTURE I. 

reconcile you to any privations you may be called to 
bear upon earth ; and, should you even walk in the 
midst of trouble, this will revive you, and you will be 
enabled to say, " I reckon that the sufferings of this 
present time are not worthy to be compared with the 
glory that shall be revealed." "For our light afflic- 
tion, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far 
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ; while 
we look not at the things which are seen, but at the 
things which are not seen ; for the things which are 
seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen 
are eternal." 



LECTURE IL 

THE SHUNAMITE. 

PART II. 

And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunainite. So he called 
her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son. 
Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the 
ground, and took up her son, and went out. — 2 Kings, iv. 36, 37. 

Few will deny the utility of illustrating principles 
and dispositions by examples ; and the importance of 
presenting vices and virtues, not abstracted in their 
definitions, but embodied in action, and enlivened in 
character. Hence so large a proportion of the Word 
of God is occupied with the account of particular per- 
sons. We have never, indeed, the whole life given 
us ; but a few bold sketches are exhibited which dis- 
criminate the individual, and interest and instruct the 
observer. 

In this number, no one appears to more advantage 
than the Shunamite, on whose history we have al- 
ready entered. Our last lecture left her declining the 
offer of advancement which had been made her. It 
was a trial which very few could have borne ; but 
she nobly answered, '^I dwell among mine own 
people." 

"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put 
confidence in princes ;" and the influence which Elisha 



18 LECTUEE II. 

is forbidden to use with the king on her behalf, he is 
resolved to employ in another direction. He consults 
with his servant what is to be done for her. Grehazi 
reminds him that she is childless, and her husband 
old; and that as there was no heir to whom the 
patrimonial estate would descend, the family would 
be soon extinct in Israel ; and, therefore, if he could 
obtain from God the favor of a son, he would efPect- 
ually remove her grievance, and gratify her in the 
most acceptable manner.' Who can help observing 
here the imperfection attached to our present state ? 
On hoAv many things does our happiness depend, the 
absence of any one of which destroys or impairs the 
whole ? And who can say, every wish of my heart is 
accomplished ; I now want nothing ? Alas ! some- 
thing is always wanting in the quality or the degree. 
To-day we complain of chilling cold, to-morrow the 
sun beats upon our head, and we are" ready to faint. 
Alone we sigh for company, in company we long for 
solitude. Here is a large family with scanty means 
of subsistence, there every kind of abundance is 
attended Avith the lack of offspring ; and thus human 
happiness and misery are more equally dispensed than 
we are prone to imagine. Endowments and defi- 
ciencies are wisely balanced. All have something-^ 
none have all. 

" Lo ! children are an heritage of the Lord, and 
the fruit of the womb is His reward ;" and of nothing 
were women of old so anxious, as the enjoyment of 
offspring. This eagerness has" been frequently ac- 
counted for on the supposition, that the}" hoped to 
be the mother of the Messiah. This was indeed a 
very enviable distinction, and when we reflect upon 



THE SHUNAMITE. 19 

OUT Saviour's glory, we cannot Lelp exclaiming with 
the woman of the company, ''Blessed is the womb 
that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked !" 
But the probability of the possession of this honor 
would not, at least generally^ actuate the Jewish 
w^omen, especially after the more particular revelation 
of the Messiah's descent ; for after it was knowm that 
He w^as to spring from the tribe of Judah, and the 
famil}^ of David, no female of any other tribe or 
family could reasonably expect it. The cause is to 
be sought for in human nature — in the force of opin- 
ion — in the desire of respectability — in the feeling 
of importance — in the concern to please — in the ap- 
pointment of heaven. 

In the case of the Shunamite the boon would be 
rendered peculiarl}^ welcome, because it had been so 
long denied, and now came unlocked for ; therefore 
when it was announced, she knew not how to credit 
the report — " Kay, my lord, thou man of God, do not 
lie unto thine handmaid." It has been said, that it 
is easy to believe what we wish, but common feeling 
•contradicts this assertion. On the contrary, it is well 
known that the more we prize a thing, and the more 
eager we are to obtain it, the more alive are we to 
uncertainty, suspicion, and fear ; and the more we crave 
every kind and degree of assurance. And this wdll be 
found to apply in another case, and with regard to a 
greater blessing than the promise of a child. They 
are the careless that presume ; they are the unawak- 
ened and unconvinced who never question their state. 
But the man that hungers and thirsts after righteous- 
ness, and is asking, What must I do to be saved ? he 
will find how hard it is to hope, and will never think 



20 LECTUEE II. 

til at lie can have too much evidence to assure his heart 
before God — and that solicitude to know that he is 
safe, and that diffidence of himself which leads to so 
much self-examination, (though considered by some as 
a kind of unbelief,) are really the effect of genuine faith. 
Smoke is not fire, but there is no smoke where there 
is no fire. Doubting, therefore, is generally a good 
prognostic. It shows that a man is impressed with 
the im^portance of his condition, and is unable to 
neglect it. 

But the Shunamite need not fear. She has the 
word of a prophet — a prophet of the God of truth, 
with whom all things are possible. The event soon 
confirms and fulfils the prediction — " And the woman 
conceived and bare a son at that season that Elisha 
had said unto her, according to the time of life." And 
thus, she who built a chamber for the man of God, 
has the prospect of her house being bu.ilt up in Israel ; 
and she who had distinguished herself by her gen- 
erosity and friendship, is rewarded by the gift of a life 
the most precious. 

Who does not congratulate her for joy that a maij 
is born into the world ! Behold her now nursing her 
charge, and attending the child of promise and of 
prayer ! With what pleasure she marks the progress 
of his body and of his mind, as he grows in wisdom 
and in stature! With what pleasure she sees him 
beginning to Avalk alone! With what pleasure she 
listens to the first lisping of his tongue, and keeps 
all his sayings, and ponders them in her heart ! 
Nothing, perhaps, in this world is more delightful 
than the growth of a fine health}^ infant. 

But how precarious is every earthly possession ! 



THE SHUN AMITE. 21 

Have we riclies ? tliey make to themselves wings and 
flee away. Have we honor ? it hangs on the waver- 
ing tongne of the multitude, and shakes before every 
blast of disrespect. Have we health, the balm of life ? 
our strength is not the strength of stones, nor are our 
bones brass ; we are crushed before the moth — we are 
destroyed from morning to evening. Have we chil- 
dren ? O let us hold them with a loose hand ! What 
certain cares ! what uncertain comforts are they ! One 
half of their number dies in a state of infancy. How 
many seeds of disorder are sown in their tender frames, 
which a few unfriendly influences render malignant — 
while they are exposed to so many accidents and dan- 
gers from without, that we should despair of ever see- 
ing a child reach maturity, did not our Saviour inform 
us, their angels do always make them their charge. 

It was now harvest — the father was early abroad 
with the reapers — the child seeks him out — ^the father 
sees him running towards him through the gate, and 
feels himself young again while he is entertained with 
his innocent prattle. But whether it was that the 
beams of the sun were too strong, or some internal 
complaint began to operate, we know not; but the 
dear child is seized with pain, and "cries unto his 
father, My head, my head." What nature urges this 
child to do, grace should teach us to do. In all our 
troubles we should immediately go and divulge them 
to our Heavenly Father, who is always nigh, always 
accessible ; Avho pities us more than a father pities his 
child];en ; and who not only allows us, but commands 
us in everything by prayer and supphcation, to make 
known our requests unto God. 

" Carry him," says the father, " carry him to his 



22 LECTUEE II. 

mother." Was this expressive of indifference ? Does 
it mean, that he was so engrossed with his farm and 
his grain, that he comparatively disregards his child? 
Were we to judge from the character of too many hus- 
bandmen at such a busy season, we should be led 
perhaps to this conclusion; for such men have not 
always been very remarkable for sensibility. But no. 
It is obvious that he was not aware of anything more 
than a slight temporary indisposition. But he deems 
it a proper precaution to send him home. His moth- 
er would be the best judge of his complaint, and 
with her he would want no attention. What a refuge, 
what a solace are a mother's arms and a mother's bo- 
som ! ! the importance of a mother ! "As one whom 
his mother comforteth." My dear little children, be 
thankful if your mothers are spared to you b}^ a kind 
Providence ; and oh, pity those bereaved children who 
have no mother. Their mother lies in the cold church- 
yard ; in vain thej^ repair to the place, and use a name 
which, if anything was able, would awake her in the 
grave — "my mother;" but their cries, if oppressed, 
cannot reach her ears ; nor, if well-treated, can the news 
gladden her heart. Some of these are only commit- 
ted to the care of hirelings ; in other cases, substitutes 
are provided to supply the place of the maternal re- 
lation. But this is impossible. A wife may be 
replaced ; a mother cannot. Let a successor be ever 
so amiable, ever so gentle, ever so attentive, (and 
there are such who cannot be too highly praised,) 
yet they never bore them, never brought one forth, 
never nursed them at their own breast — do not, 
cannot feel the ties which bind a mother to the son 
of her womb. 



THE SnUNAMITE. 23 

I see tlie lad hanging on the neck of the man who 
bears him home — and ! when they enter the yard, 
how w^ould all the mother rise up and feel ! She in- 
stantly takes him — " and he sat on her knees till 
noon, and then died." Well in the morning, a corpse 
long before evening ! No care, no tenderness, no tears, 
can retain his spirit. ! what were the workings of 
her heart during the hours of suspense ? What were 
her feelings when she saw the lip quiver, and felt his 
life poured into her bosom ? 

It is easy to imagine into what an agony, frenzj^ 
perturbation, and confusion many a mother would have 
been thrown. But here we have another fine open- 
ing into the character of this illustrious female. It 
is her Self-possession. Self-possession is that state of 
mind in which, though a person cannot hinder his feel- 
ings, he can govern them; and though he may be 
alarmed and distressed, jet he preserves his recollec- 
tion ; and can use his feet, hands, eyes, ears, his 
reason, and if he has any, his religion. Behold the 
temper and the demeanor of this woman. Here is 
nothing frantic, no rending of garments, no plucking 
off the hair, no peevish murmuring, no sullen discon- 
tent. "Weeping does not hinder sowing." She 
perceives everything that should be done, and lo ! she 
is at once applying herself to the doing of it. The 
affliction must have been the gTcatest she could have 
endured, and the affliction was also very sudden, and 
nothing so overpowers and distracts as the sudden- 
ness of a calamity. But nothing prevents the exercise 
of her wisdom and her grace. 

What was the principle of her conduct ? We learn, 
from the authority of God himself, in the Epistle to 



24 LECTURE II. 

the Hebrews, that it was '' faith." She was a daugh- 
ter of Abraham, and, like him, in hope, beheved against 
hope ; accounting that God was able even to raise 
her son also from the dead. This influenced her, and 
this explains the steps she took. She lays the child, 
not on his own little couch, but upon the Prophet's 
bed ; and she fastens the door after her, discovering no 
consternation that could betray or hinder her design. 
She sends to her husband for conveyance and attend- 
ance to go to the man of Grod ; but though she acquaints ^ 
him with her journey, she does not mention the cause 
of it. " And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him 
to-day ? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath. And 
she said, it shall be well." From hence we see — 1st, 
That this good woman had been accustomed, with 
others, to repair to the usual residence of Elisha, to 
hear, doubtless, the Word of Grod from his mou.th, and 
to join in the devotions of prayer and of praise ; and, 
2dly, It appears that the father at this time had no 
suspicion of the child's death, but acquiesces in the 
assurance she had given him of the propriety of the 
measure she was taking, for his heart safely trusted 
in her. 

Elisha discerns her afar off, and in a moment all 
the concerns of her family rushed into his tender and 
grateful heart, and he sends his servant to meet her 
with the inquiry, "Is it well with thee? Is it well 
with thy husband ? Is it well with thy child ? And 
she answered. It is well." What does she mean? Her 
answer may be considered three ways. It was the 
language of diversion; wishing to waive any further 
inquiry of the servant till she reached the master. It 
was the language of confidence; hopeful, if not per- 



THE SHUN AMITE. 25 

STiaded of the issue in her favor. It was also the 
language of submission; conscious that all that had 
taken place, as well as what she hoped would take 
place, was wise, righteous, and kind ; and that all was 
working together for good. 

In this view, indeed, it was something more than 
submission ; it was acquiescence ; it was approbation. 
And this is the exalted kind of resignation which a 
believer in God should seek after. It should not be 
enough for him to saj, " This is my grief, and I must 
bear it ;" but " Good is the word of the Lord ;" — 
" The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; 
blessed be the name of the Lord." — " He hath done 
all things well." 

Even this kind of resignation, however, is very dis- 
tinguishable from stupidity and indifference. It does 
not consist in the absence of feeling, but in the regu- 
lation of it — in the improvement of it. It is by no 
means incompatible with a sense of the pressing evils 
of our situation, or a desire of redress. "We see this 
in our Saviour himself in the garden, who prayed, 
" Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me : 
nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done." 

Thus the Shunamite " fell down and caught him 
by the feet ;" and a flood of tears seems to have been 
all her language for the time ; and when the of&cious, 
unfeeling Gehazi came near to thrust her away, the 
more merciful master said, " Let her alone ; for her 
soul is vexed within her : and the Lord hath hid it 
from me, and hath not told me." 

The supernatural powers possessed by the Prophets 
and Apostles of old were not at their own control. 
The exercise of them was limited by the giver 

2 



26 LECTURE II. 

Hence Paul, who wrouglit so many miracles in Ms 
journey, was obliged to leave Tropliimus at Melita sick: 
he could not cure his beloved son Timothy, but only 
advises him what regimen to use under his frequent in- 
firmities. Elisha had done many wonderful works, but 
he could not do everything. He could foretell the birth 
of this child, even before his conception, but he knew 
nothing of his sickness and death, even after the event. 
God revealed himself as he pleased ; and this sorrowful 
intelligence he had withholden, in order that he might 
learn it from the mother herself And how does she 
divulge it ? Never was anything so exquisitely simple 
and expressive. Few words — no introduction — it is 
the heart that speaks. " Then she said, Did I de- 
sire a son of my Lord ? Did I not say. Do not deceive 
me?" And if she had said, " Had I obtained a child 
by importunity, I might have feared that he gave me 
a son in his anger, and took him away in his wrath 
— for what we extort from God never prospers — ^but 
it was a free-will offering. Why was I anguished to 
bring him into the v,rorld ? What end has his exist- 
ence answered ? Was a child granted me to bring forth, 
and not to rear ? O how much easier it was to en- 
dure the want of this blessing than to bear the loss 
of it ! thou man of God, thy prayers obtained him', 
cannot thy prayers restore him ?" 

It is easy to conclude that, in all her afiliction, 
Elisha would be afflicted. But in applying a remedy 
to her grief, he does a thing which has exceedingly 
perplexed commentators. He sends Gehazi with speed 
*'to lay his staff upon the face of the child.". It may 
be asked, why he did this ; and whence the inefficacy of 
the action ? Was it done of his own conceit, without a 



THE SHUNAMITE. • 27 

divine impulse ? It is the opinion of some — Would not 
God honor by his countenance and sanction such a 
vile character as Gehazi? It is the conjecture of 
others — Or was it because the faith of this woman did 
not go along Avith it? This seems most probable. 
Our Lord always required faith in the suppliants who 
apphed to him, and no cure was dispensed without it. 
And this woman had faith in the master, but not in 
the servant; in the prayers of the Prophet, but not 
in his staff. She therefore cleaves to Elisha, and 
affirms that she will not leave him. He therefore 
arose and folloAved her. " And when he Avas come into 
the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon 
his bed. He went in, therefore, and shut the door 
upon them twain, and praj'ed unto the Lord. . And 
he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his 
mouth upon 'his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, 
and his hands upon his hands ; and he stretched him- 
self upon the child ; and the flesh of the child waxed 
warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house 
to and fro ; and went up and stretched himself upon 
him : and the child sneezed seven times ; and the child 
opened his eyes." And here we have reached a scene 
in which we must all take a sympathetic and lively 
part : — The mother called in to receive her son, en- 
deared by the pangs and the joys of a second birth ! 
With what emotions of transport would she " take 
up her son " that " was dead, and is alive again — was 
lost, and is found." 

But even here the character of this illustrious wo- 
man appears. As when in her grief she was not swal- 
lowed up of overmuch sorrow, so as to forget the 
duties of adversity ; so in her deliverance she is not 



28 LECTURE 11. 

intoxicated with delight. She doubtless felt a joy 
that strangers intermeddle not with, and which no one 
who is not in the same circumstances can estimate ; 
but it does not betray her for one moment into a vio- 
lation of any of the duties or decencies of prosperity. 
A mother in such a condition as this might surely be 
expected to rush towards the bed, and take up the 
child first^ and press him to her bosom, and see, 
hear, think of nothing else. And who would not 
have excused her ? But the Shunamite has nothing 
to excuse. She stands on higher ground. She is in 
everything exemplary. Propriety, dignity attends all 
her actions, not to ward off censure, but to command 
praise. Not even the feelings of a mother — of a 
mother placed in circumstances so affecting' — shall 
cause her to neglect the prior claims of humble and 
fervent adoration and gratitude. " Then she Avent 
in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, 
and took up her son, and went out." — " Many daugh- 
ters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them 
aU." 

A fanciful turn has been given to the whole of this 
marvellous transaction. It has been supposed that 
this miracle forms an outline of what is clearly taught 
us in the book of God, concerning the renovation of 
mankind ; and we have seen a pubHshed sermon on 
the subject, bj^ a man of some judgment, as well as 
much imagination. According to him this woman 
holds forth the church,^ — ^often compared to a female, 
and a mother — and concerned ~ for the spiritual life 
of her children. The dead child typifies those of 
the people of God who are yet dead in trespasses 
and sins, and " have neither voice nor hearing." 



THE SHUNAMITE. 29 

Elisha stands forth a striking emblem of him Avho is 
the resurrection and the life, and who in the days of 
his flesh said, " The hour is coming, and now is, when 
the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and 
they that hear shall live." In vain is the servant 
sent, and in vain is the staff imposed ; nothing is done 
till the master himself comes, and applies his power 
to the work. Thus ministers of our Lord go forth 
and dispense the word of truth ; but there is no re- 
vival, till he, by his own Spirit, breathes upon these 
dry bones, that they may live. The renewed life is 
produced by degrees, and requires, as here, fresh ap- 
plications of divine energy. But as this child, as soon 
as he was restored to life, was given in charge to the 
mother, so the enlivened heir of glory is committed to 
the church, there to be fed and nourished " unto a per- 
fect man, unto the measure of the stature of the 
fulness of Christ." 

We shall not take upon us to determine whether 
the miracle was designed to furnish such a prefigura- 
tion. If the narrative be fairly capatle of such an 
accommodation, I know not that it is wrong to make 
it. K such an application promises usefulness, we 
would not hinder it by rigid criticism. If imagina- 
tion succeeds in impressing such interesting truths on 
the mind, let her alone, she has wrought a good work. 
Yet we should be cautious, lest we cause the way of 
truth to be evil spoken of; or by turning facts into 
fiction, and fiction into facts, spiritualize the Scrip- 
ture, till it seems to have no determinate and certain 
meaning. 

Let us conclude by an inference, which is not only 
useful, but which the history was designed to afford. 



80 LECTURE II. 

Behold the power of prayer. It has commanded 
the heavenly bodies ; it has controlled the elements ; 
it has raised the dead. 

Behold the power of laith. " But let him ask in 
faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is 
like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and 
tossed. For let not that man think that he shall re- 
ceive anything of the Lord." '• Whatsoever ye shall 
ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." And what 
says the Apostle of the ancient worthies, and of faith ? 
" The time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, 
and of Samson, and of Jepthoa ; of David also, and 
Samuel, and of the Prophets : who through faith sub- 
dued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained prom- 
ises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence 
of fire, escaped the edge of the sword ; out of weakness 
were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to 
flight the armies of the aliens. Women eeceived 

THEIR dead raised TO LIFE AGAIN." 

Above all, behold the power of Grod, who wounds 
and who heals, who kills and who makes alive ! 

We are not to expect miracles, but we are not to 
limit the Hol}^ One of Israel. Improbabilities are 
not to discourage us. In all our difliculties, we have 
one to trust in "who is able to do exceeding abun- 
dantly above all that we ask or think." We have 
one to trust in for whom nothing is too hard ; in 
whom, the exiled can find refuge, the poor riches, 
the weak strength, the dying life, and the dead life 
everlasting. 

We are not to expect a repetition of this miracle 
in this world. But there is another world, in which 
we shall see greater things than these. And " why 



THE SHUKAMITE. 31 

should it be tlionglit a thing incredible that God should 
raise the dead ?" He has not only given us promises 
of it, but furnishes us with actual and undeniable in- 
stances. 

Let us apply this consolatory truth to our own 
death and the death of others. Have any of you 
been called to bury the desire of your eyes ? Relig- 
ion does not forbid your grief; it does not expect 
that you should put your fingers upon their eyes, and 
lay them, after years of intimacy, in the darksome 
grave, and leave them there, and return home without 
a sigh or without a tear. But it says, " we would not 
have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them who 
are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have 
no hope. For if Ave believe that Jesus died and rose 
again, even so them also who sleej) in Jesus will Grod 
bring with him." Martha, " thy brother shall rise 
again. Believest thou this ?" Have any of you buried 
promising hopes ? Rachel, are you weeping for your 
children ? Are you saying, " happy Shunamite ! your 
loss was soon repaired, but my wound is incurable ; 
I shall never embrace my son. Alas, no Elisha 
is near ?" Refuse not to be comforted because they are 
not. They are. Their souls are in the bosom of 
their heavenly Shepherd. Their bodies are under his 
keeping ; you shall see them again, hear them again ; 
they will be delivered back, dressed in immortal 
charms. ''It is sown in corruption ; it is raised in 
incorruption : it is sown in dishonor ; it is raised in 
glory : it is sown in weakness ; it is raised in power : 
it is sown a natural body ; it is raised a spiritual 
body." 

But you mUvSt die yourselves, and death is the 



82 LECTURE II. 

King of Terrors. It has often filled even the Chris- 
tian with dread. But trembling on the brink of the 
grave, he takes courage while his God addresses him, 
and says, " Be not afraid to go down, I will go down 
with thee, and I will bring thee up again." — " I know 
that my Eedeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at 
the latter day upon the earth ; and though after my 
skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I 
see God ; whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes 
shall behold, and not another ; though my reins be 
consumed within me." 

Let us seek after an interest in the blessedness of 
those " who have part in the first resurrection ;" for 
" on such the second death hath no power." Let us 
live with " our conversation in heaven, from whence 
also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ ; 
who shall change our vile body, that it may be 
fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the 
working whereby he is able even to subdue all things 
unto himself," 



LECTURE III. 

THE SHUNAMITE. 



PAET III. 

And it came to pass as he was telling the King how he had re- 
stored a dead body to hfe, that, behold the woman, Avhose son he 
had restored to h'fe, cried to the Bang for her house, and for her 
land. And Gehazi said. My lord, King, this is the woman, and 
this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. — 2 Kings, viii. 5. 

The Providence of God was held forth to Ezekiel 
in vision, under the representation of a wheeL The 
motion of a wheel is revolutionary ; the joarts are con- 
tinually ascending and descending, and the highest 
and the lowest alternately succeed each other in the 
mire and in the air. And thus it is with empires, 
thus it is with families, and thus it is with individuals. 
All human affairs are administered in a state of per- 
petual vicissitude. From small beginnings the poor 
grow into wealth, while the rich are hurled from afflu- 
ence into beggary, and have their present distress em- 
bittered by the remembrance of the former plenty that 
surrounded them. The ignoble emerge into fame, 
while the honorable of the earth are stripped of their 
dignity— 

2* 



84 LECTUEE III. 

Here, he exalts neglected worms, 
To sceptres and a crown ; 
Anon, the following page he turns, 
And treads the monarch down. 

ITot Gabriel asks the reason why, 
Nor God the reason gives, 
Nor dares the favorite angel pry, 
Between the folded leaves. 

But, tliougli " clouds and darkness are round about 
him, justice and judgment are tlie habitation of bis 
tbrone ; mercy and truth go before his face." Though 
these changes may seem casual, they are divinely 
appointed. Though they may appear uneven and 
irregular, they are all order and harmony. Though 
they may be misunderstood and misimproved, import- 
ant ends are to be answered by them all, in the cor- 
rection of the wicked, in the trial of the godly, in the 
glory of Him that worketh all in all. 

Happy will it be for us >f we have principles and 
dispositions that Avill enable us to accommodate our- 
selves to all the varying dispensations of Divine Prov- 
idence, and to say with the Apostle, " I have learned, 
in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I 
know both how to be abased, and I know how to 
abound ; everywhere, and in all things, I am instructed 
both to be full and to be hungry, both to aboiind and 
to suffer need." 

We left the Shunamite at a very interesting period. 
She had just received her dead child raised to life 
again, and was feeling that lively joy which arises 
more from the recovery than the continued possession 
of a valued blessing. But we must always rejoice 
with trembling. The mountain never stands so 



THE SHUNAMITE. 35 

strong but it may be moved; tlie sky wliicli serenity 
has cleared may again be overcast, and tlie clouds 
return after tlie rain. We are never out of tlie reach 
of disappointment in this vale of tears. We are 
vulnerable in our persons, in our connections, in our 
possessions. Innumerable troubles of a private or of 
a public nature, which no prudence could foresee, no 
diligence ward off, may frustrate our schemes, sepa- 
rate us from our friends, drive us from the bounds of 
our habitation, and compel us to go out, not know- 
ing whither we go. "I will bring the blind by a 
way that they knew not ; I will lead them in paths 
that they have not known : I will make darkness 
light before them, and crooked things straight. These 
things will I do unto them, and not forsake them." 

After a few years of domestic tranquillity and en- 
joyment, the Shunamite is constrained to leave not 
only her own dwelling, but even her native country. 
Here we have an opportunity to drop a few words 
concerning removals in general. We are not abso- 
lutely confined to one spot. " The earth is the Lord's, 
and the fulness thereof;" and, as they laughed at his 
folly, in Terence, who said there was a much better 
moon at Athens than there was at Corinth, so it would 
be absurd to suppose that there is a better God in 
one place than in another. 

V/here'er we seek him, be is found, 
And every place is hallowed ground. 
While place we seek, or place we shun, 
The soul finds happiness in none ; 
But with a God, whose grace I know, 
"Tis equal joy to stay or go. 
Could I but cast where thou art not. 
That were indeed a dreadful lot ; 



36 LECTURE III. 

But regions none forlorn I call, 
Secure of finding Thee in all. 

Yet removals should always be. Tindertaken, not from 
fickleness and levity, but from proper and weighty 
reasons. Some men are never fixed, but always rov- 
ing hither and thither; and exemplify the proverb 
— "A rolhng stone gathers no moss." A tree often 
transplanted seldom radicates well, and its fruit is weak 
and sickly. It was the advice of a heathen, " Where 
thou art well, keep thyself well, lest thinking to meet 
with better, thou findest worse." Many difSculties 
should surely be borne, before people think of emigrating 
from their own country. The risk is commonly gTeat, 
both as to profit and pleasure. The representations of 
travellers are not always to be depended upon. How 
many of those who have left England (" England ! with 
all thy faults, I love thee stiU "), and have gone abroad, 
have ruined themselves, and mourned their inability to 
return. With few exceptions, where Providence has 
brought us forth, and brought us up, we should be 
wilhng to abide, especially remembering who has said 
— " Trust in the Lord, and do good, and dwell in the 
land, and verily thou shalt be fed." 

But necessity has no law. It was famine that drove 
the Shunamite from her own country. " Then spake 
EHsha unto the woman whose son he had restored to 
life, saying, Arise, and go, thou and thine household, 
and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn ; for the 
Lord hath called for a famine ; and it shall also come 
upon the land seven years." This is one of the most 
dreadful arrows in God's quiver. Happily for us who 
live in a land which the Lord hath cared foi*, we are 
incapable of knq^ying the horrors of it from experience. 



THE SHUNAMITE. 37 

But, all! think what it would be if the heaven over you 
was brass, and the earth under you was iron — if a proph- 
et like Joel should come and say, " That which the 
palmer-worm hath left hath the locust eaten ; and that 
which the locust hath left hath the canker-worm eaten ; 
and that which the canker worm hath left hath the 
caterpillar eaten. The meat-offering and the drink- 
offering is cut off from the house of the Lord ; the 
priests, the Lord's ministers, mourn. The field is 
wasted, the land mourneth ; for the corn is wasted, the 
new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye 
ashamed, O ye husbandmen ; howl, O ye vine-dress- 
ers, for the wheat and for the barley, because the har- 
vest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up, 
and the fig-tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, 
the palm-tree also, and the apple-tree, even all the trees 
of the field, are withered; because joy is withered 
away from the sons of men. The seed is rotten under 
their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are 
broken down for the corn is w^ithered. How do the 
beasts groan ! the herds of cattle are perplexed, be- 
cause they have no pasture ; yea, the flocks of sheep 
are made desolate." Think what it would be to feed 
on roots and garbage, and animals the most offen- 
sive, and even human flesh, as delicious viands. It 
was this that gave rise to the pitiful lamentation, 
" They that be slain with the sword are better than 
they that be slain with hunger ; for these pine away, 
stricken through for want of the fruits of the field. 
The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their 
own children ; they were their meat in the destruction 
of the daughter of my people." 

But observe how long this famine was to continue : 



88 LECTUKE III. 

no less than seven years ! and secondly, see how it 
came; "The Lord hath called for a famine," says 
Elisha. David has expressed himself in similar lan- 
guage — '' Moreover, he called for a famine npon the 
land ; he brake the whole staff of bread." It is to in- 
timate what is clearly affirmed in other parts of Scrip- 
ture, that God is to be acknowledged in judgments as 
well as in mercies; and that, whatever may be the 
second cause, he is always the first. " Shall there be 
evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it ?" " The 
inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good ; but 
evil came clown from the Lord unto the gate of Jeru- 
salem.." behold, I have created the smith that 
bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth 
an instrument for his work ; and I have created the 
waster to destroy." "Out of him came forth the ar- 
row, out of him the nail, out of him the battle-bow, 
out of him every oppressor together." 

It also shows us with what ease he can punish 
or destroy. He has but to speak and the judgment 
obeys his call. He has evils of every kind and of 
every degree awaiting his pleasure. He says to one 
come, and it cometh ; to another go, and it goeth. 
Their direction is unerringly prescribed;' — their ob- 
jects are specified; their continuance is limited; 
all they are commissioned to perform they must exe- 
cute. " He cloeth according to his will in the army 
of heaven; and among the inhabitants of the 
earth ; and none can stay his hand, or say unto Him, 
what doest thou?" One .word from Grod would 
bring disease, and stop the progress of the most vic- 
torious army ; one word from God would raise the 
stormy wind, and sink a navy like lead in the mighty 



THE SHUNAMITE. 39 

waters. that we may feel our entire dependence 
upon Grod, and acknowledge Him in all our ways ; 
whose eye is upon us, and we are not ! 

But look at this woman, and learn that it is as 
easy for God to save as to destroy. '' The Lord 
knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation ;" 
while " he reserves the ungodly unto the day of judg- 
ment to be punished." Sometimes, indeed, his own 
people are involved in common calamities : he then 
indemnifies them in some other way ; and though 
they suffer with others, they do not suffer lihe them. 
But he has often interposed for their exemption, and 
sometimes he has appeared for them so sensibly as to 
constrain their enemies to acknowledge, that " verily 
there is a reward for the righteous, verily there is a 
God that judgeth in the earth." Thus, Noah was 
saved and the world drowned. Thus, Lot was res- 
cued from the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. 
Thus, in all the plagues inflicted by Moses, God put 
a difference between the Egyptians and the Israelites. 
And thus, in the dreadful calamity that was coming 
upon Judea, and from which so many must have 
suffered and died, the Shunamite has a vray made 
for her escape ; God informing the Prophet and the 
Prophet informing her : " Arise, and go thou and 
thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst 
sojourn ; for the Lord hath called for a famine ; and it 
shall also come upon the land seven years." 

This was a trial of her faith. It is probable that 
at this season there was no natural appearance of 
such a dearth ; and had the man of God addressed 
this to many, he would have seemed to them as one 
that mocked; and they would have said, '^ Well, we'll 



40 LECTURE III. 

wait and try ; we shall do as well as others." But 
the Shunamite believed his word; and, as faith can only 
be proved by works, she immediately acts according, 
to his suggestion ; and taking a long farewell of home, 
she goes forth— 

'' All the world before her, where to chose 
Her place of rest, and Providence her guide." 

The famine was not universal ; it did not rage in 
the neighboring country of the Philistines. Thither 
therefore she bends her steps, with her husband and 
her only child (who would ask many an artless question 
by the way) ; and looking to Grod for protection, she 
enters a land generally hostile to Israel, but she finds 
favor in their eyes. 

Though nothing is said of her while in this state 
of exile, we may be assured that her conduct was in 
character with her circumstances and her profession ; 
that the same principles which had enabled her to 
appear to advantage in every former trying scene, 
would qualify her to act properly in this new exi- 
gency ; that she woiild not faint in the day of adver- 
sity, but submit herself under the mighty hand of God, 
who could exalt her in due- time ; that though ac- 
customed to ease and indulgence before, she would 
stoop to labor, and frugality, and self-denial ; that as 
in such a situation the e3'es of many would be upon 
her, who would judge of her religion by her, she 
would be careful to give no offence, that the name of 
God should not be blasphemed among the Gentiles by 
her means ; yea, to be usefal, to recommend amiably 
her godliness to others, dropping occasional instruc- 
tion, and walking in wisdom towards them that were 



THE SIIUNAMITE. ^ 41 

without. This is what the Apostle enjoins upon all 
Christians — " That ye may be blameless and harm- 
less, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of 
a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine 
as lights in the world ; holding forth the word of life ; 
that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have 
not run in vain, neither labored in vain." And who 
knows of what utility, during her residence among the 
Philistines, this woman was the instrument ? 

But the seven years are at length elapsed, and she 
thinks of returning home. She would doubtless re- 
turn with feelings very different from those with which 
she went forvv^ard. But alas ! we are oftener deceived 
on the side of our hopes than of our fears. She finds 
better entertainment among strangers and foreigners 
than among her own countrymen. 

Either some persons had seized the estate by vio- 
lence, or probably those entrusted with the manage- 
ment in her absence, had proved false, and would 
neither resign, nor come to any settlement. If the 
latter supposition bo true, it shows us what little 
principle there is in the world, and reminds us of Solo- 
mon's words : " Confidence in an unfaithful man in 
time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out 
of joint." 

However this may be, it furnishes us with another 
proof of the precariousness of treasure upon earth, 
where not only " moth and rust doth corrupt, but 
where thieves break through and steal." AYell are 
the rich called upon, not to " trust in uncertain riches, 
but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things 
to enjoy ;" and " that they do good, that they be 
rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to com. 



42 LECTUEE III. 

municate, laying up in store for themselves a good 
foundation against the time to come." For we know 
'' not what evil shall be upon the earth." It is v^ell, 
therefore, to have something certain to look to in 
distress, and this may be secured by benevolence and 
liberality ; for " blessed is he that considers the poor, 
the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble." 
" Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain 
mercy." " He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth 
unto the Lord ; and that which he hath given will he 
pay him again." Nothing is like making Provi- 
dence our banker, ISTothing is like our securing his 
blessing and friendship, who has all hearts in his 
hands, and all events under his control. While the 
Shunamite had property, she did good with it, and 
she had no reason to repent. She was well paid 
for her accommodation of the Prophet, in the gift 
and resurrection of her son, in keeping herself and her 
family alive in famine, and in the recovery of her estate. 
This is the event that concludes her history, and 
it is a very instructive one. " She went forth to cry 
unto the King for her house and for her land " — and 
behold the marvellousness of the occurrence. " The 
King was talking with G-ehazi of all the great things 
which Elisha had done," at the very time the woman 
approached with her suit, yea, at the very time when 
she herself happened to be the subject of conver- 
sation. " And it came to pass, as he vv^as telling 
the King how he had restored a dead body to life, that 
behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, 
cried to the King for her house, and for her land. 
And Grehazi said. My Lord, King, this is the woman, 
and tins is her son wliom Blisha restored to life." 



THE SHUNAMITE. 43 

Upon this consideration of circumstances depended 
the immediate recovery of her property and arrears. 
" And when the king asked the woman, she told him. 
So the king appointed unto her a certain of&cer, say- 
ing, Kestore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the 
field since the day that she left the land, even until 
now." 

Everything in our world is providential. Our Saviour 
teaches us that nothing is beneath His notice, however 
minute. A span^ow falleth not to the ground without 
our Heavenly Father ; and the hairs of our head are 
all numbered. But besides the ordinary course of 
Providence, there are two classes of occurrences men- 
tioned often in the Scripture. The one is miraculous^ 
the other is what Ave call eventful. The former is con- 
trary to the laws of nature, or above them ; the latter is 
not an immediate effect produced by an exertion of 
divine power, but a display of wisdom taking things as 
they are, and giving them a peculiar union and result. 
In a word, though it be not miraculous, it is marvellous, 
and shows much of the agency of God ; and this sort 
of occurrences concerns us more than the miraculous. 
For miracles have ceased, but God continues to rule 
over all ; and by his secret influence can so direct 
persons, circumstances, and events, as to make them 
easily work together for our good. 

This being premised, observe how critical was this 
moment for the Shunamite. The king talking with 
Gehazi, and Gehazi talking of her. Shall we call 
this chance, fortune, luckiness ? How much depended 
upon Joseph's elevation ; even the salvation of Egypt 
and of his fathers house. This depended upon his 
interpretation of Pharaoh's dream. This depended 



44 LECTURE III. . 

npon Ms imprisonment with tlie cliief butler and baker. 
This depended upon his being a servant in Potiphar's 
house. But all depended upon his life ; and how 
came he to be saved alive ? His brethren hated him, 
and when he comes into the field thej agree to murder 
him. But one little circumstance diverted them from 
their puipose — " And they sat down to eat bread : 
and thej lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, 
a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their 
camels bearing spicerj^, and balm, and myrrh, going to 
carry it down to Egypt. And Judah said unto his 
brethren, what profit is it if we slay our brother, and 
conceal his blood ? Come, and let us sell him to the 
Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him ; for 
he is our brother^ and our flesh. And his brethren 
were content. Then there passed by Midianites, 
merchantmen ; and they drew and lifted up Joseph 
out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 
twenty pieces of silver ; and they brought Joseph into 
Egypt." Was their passing by at this moment, and in 
this part of the plain, accidental ? Moses was doomed 
to perish by a cruel edict. Three months his mother 
hid the fair child; but "when she could no longer 
hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and 
daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the 
child therein ; and she laid it in the flags by the river's 
brink. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to 
wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked 
along by the river's side ; and when she saw the ark 
among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And 
when she had opened it, she saw the chfld ; and behold, 
the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and 
said, this is one of the Hebrews' children." What 



THE SHUNAMITE. 45 

brought her down at this j ancture, and to this very spot ? 
wten we consider Moses as a historian, a lawgiver, a 
deliverer ; and that all — his life, his greatness — all was 
suspended upon these circumstances, can we suppose 
that the circumstances were contingent ? David's first 
fame was derived from his carrying victuals to his 
brethren in the army ; and from his arrival, just at the 
time when the Philistines came forth and defied the armies 
of the living Grod, and they fled back from his approach. 
Saul pursued after him in the wilderness of Maon ; 
" And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and 
David and his men on that side of the mountain ; 
and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul ; 
for Saul and his men compassed David and his men 
round about, to take them. But there came a mes- 
senger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come ; for 
the Philistines have invaded the land. Wherefore, 
Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went 
against the Philistines ; therefore they called that 
place Sela-hamma-lekoth." Upon what hangs Mor- 
decai's elevation ? Upon an hour's restlessness. " On 
that night could not the king sleep ; and he com- 
manded to bring the book of records of the chronicles, 
and they were read before the king." Forty men had 
banded together, and bound themselves under a curse 
that they should not eat or drink till they had killed 
Paul. He was delivered, not by miracle, but by the 
report of his sister's son, who had casually heard the 
scheme of the assassins. 

And who, in the course of a few years, has not 
met with some remarkable incidents of this nature ? 
Though it is not necessary to publish them, yet we 
should do well to remember them, for the purposes 



46 LECTUEE III. 

of gratitude and encouragement. " He that will 
observe Providences will never Yv\ant Providences* to 
observe," says an old divine ; and says David, " Whoso 
is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall 
understand the loving-kindness of the Lord." Eli- 
jah's receiving his food by ravens was miraculous, 
and so was the multiplication of the widow's oil ; 
but is not the hand of Grod to be seen in giving us 
day by day our daily bread, in giving us skill to 
seize opportunities and advantages, in raising us up 
friends, in bringing us relief from very unlikely sources? 

Thus far we have traced the history of this female 
worthy. More we shou.ld have been glad to know 
respecting her, but the Scripture now becomes silent. 
"We have seen that she was "a great woman" even 
in circumstances. But this was the least part of her 
praise, and no part of her character. She did not 
derive her importance from external pageantry, from 
rank, or fortune, but from personal and religious 
endowments. 

Her goodness is not, like her greatness, expressly 
mentioned. This was to be read in her life, in her 
temper, in her actions ; and there it has undeniably 
appeared. 

I have held up the picture ; and while I wish you 
to observe the whole figure, you cannot fail to 
observe particular features — her kindness, her discre- 
tion, lier contentment, her faith, her self-possession, 
her obedience to the leadings of Providence. These 
excellencies are seen in her, not separately and inde- 
pendently, but aiding each other, and blending together 
like the colors in the rainbow, to make a beautiful 
whole. 



THE SHUNAMITE. 47 

She shines bj not seeking to shine. There is 
nothing eccentric in her motions. She does not 
throw herself out pf her own proper sphere of action 
she never despises the duties of relative, and domestic 
and common life. She not^ only atten^ds to the sub 
staiice of duty, but to all its decencies^ to -all the pro 
prieties of time and place and manner. 

But she was not untried — and we are glad she 
was not. A person that passed through the world 
smoothly and Avithout changes, would be a poor 
insipid character, and a poor unedifying example. 
Polishing is the effect of friction. The Son of Grod 
himself was " made perfect through sujffering," and 
the afflictions of his people " work out for them a far 
more exceeding and eternal weight of glor}^" Much 
of the excellency of this woman was derived from her 
difficulties ; her graces, like the stars, shining in and 
by the darkness of the night. 

My female readers, '' be not slothful, but followers 
of them who, through faith and patience, inherit the 
promises." And be not discouraged ; what she was, 
why may not ypu become ? With Him is the resi- 
due of the Spirit, "who gives to all liberally, and 
upbraideth not." 

And though, in jom: resemblance of her, your 
name may not be published to the Avorld or handed 
down to future generations, yet be sure that unos- 
tentatious goodness in your circumstances will not 
wholly escape the notice of others, while it will be 
recorded in a book of remembrance, and acknowl- 
edged before an assembled universe. 

The Judge of worth estimates actions, not accord- 
ing to bulk and splendor, but according to their 



48 LECTUEE III. 

utility, their importance, and the humble and self-deny- 
ing principles from which they are performed ; and in 
his view, a female moving along the vale of life, 
filling up her station with cheerfulness and decorum, 
and discharging duties which, though they are com- 
mon and seem little, are the most essential to the 
welfare and happiness of the human race, is worthy 
of more praise than a Semiramis or a Zenobia, ruling 
nations, heading armies, and lauded to the skies. 



I 



I 



LECTURE IV. 

MARY MAGDALENE. 

PART I. 

Mary, called Magdaleue, out of whom went seven devils, 

Luke, viii. 2. 

This female, it has commonlj been supposed, was a 
woman of infamy, and the sinner wlio in the house of 
the Pharisee washed the Saviour's feet with her tears, 
and wiped them Avith the hairs of her head ; and hence 
it is that a place in our own metropolis, appropriated 
to an unhappy class of beings, is named after her, and 
called " The Magdalene." 

If we do not accede to this conclusion, it is not 
from a wish to be singular, or from a disposition that 
seems offended at the sovereignty of divine goodness. 
For has he not a right to do what ■ he will with his 
own? and is our eye evil because he is good ? "If 
God, willing to make his power known," and "to show 
the exceeding riches of his grace," sometimes calls the 
vilest of the vile, it surely becomes us to adore the 
author, and to congratulate the subject of such a 
wonderful salvation. But it is because we ought not 
to believe without evidence ; and there is no evidence, 

3 



60 LECTQKE IV. 

whatever, to prove that she was such, a character as she 
has generally been imagined. 

She was of Magdala, and all we know of her con- 
cerns her singular affliction ; the regard she paid to her 
deliverer ; and the honor she received from him. 

Her affliction is expressed by her having "seven 
devils." This is several times mentioned as something 
well known, and by which she was distinguished. The 
question is, what does the expression import ? 

Some suppose that she was possessed with a num- 
ber of real individual personages or beings, called 
demons. According to them, about the time of our 
Saviour's incarnation, evil spirits were permitted to 
inhabit even the bodies of men, in order to render his 
dominion over the powers of darkness more obvious ; 
and to show, by sensible instances, that he came to 
" destroy the works of the devil." Much has been 
said in favor of this notion, and it has been defended 
principally by two arguments. First, that, in several 
places, the possessed of devils are distinguished from 
all other patients ; and secondly, that things were 
uttered by them, implying consciousness and intelli- 
gence, which could not have proceeded from any who 
were only physically diseased. 

Others have been disposed to inquire, how the 
phrase was understood by those among whom it was 
originally and familiarly used. Now, say they, it is 
certain that the Jews were accustomed to personify 
mental and bodily qualities, and that they employed 
the words " evil spirit," and " devil," to signify any 
noted malady or grievous infirmity. 

Thus, Saul's morbid melancholy was called an 
" evil spirit, and which, therefore, music drove away. 



MARY MAGDALENE. 61 

Keferring to what they judged the mopish and ill-na- 
tured reserve and abstemiousness of John, his enemies 
said, "He hatha devil." With regard to the supposed 
extravagance of our Saviour, the Scribes and Pha- 
risees said, "He hath a devil, and is mad ; why hear 
ye him?" And, regarding the woman bowed down 
with a spirit of infirmity, our Lord says, " Ought 
not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath 
bound, lo, these eighteen years, to be loosed from 
this bond on the Sabbath-day?" For it was sup- 
posed that, as Satan was the first introducer of evil 
and the original of all misery, so he exercised a 
pecuhar agency still, in the production of evils, as 
was seen in the story of Job's successive inflic- 
tions. 

The word " seven devils " means not a precise and 
certain, but a large and an indefinite number; and 
hence we see in what a state of dreadful suffering and 
peril this woman was found laboring. 

But from this complication of evils and maladies, 
our Saviour had delivered her ; nor was she insensible 
of the obhgations she was under to his pity and power 
on her behalf. We read of her, therefore, "with 
Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and 
Susanna, and many other women," as " ministering 
unto him of their substance." 

This, with regard to our Saviour himself, imphes 
indigence and dependence. He who " was rich for our 
sakes became poor "■ — so poor as that, while " foxes had 
holes and the birds of the air had nests, the Son of 
man had not where to lay his head" — so poor as to be 
a pensioner, supphed by the very creatures he made 
and sustained. 



52 LECTURE IV. 

With regard to Mary, this reminds us of three 
things : — 

1st, Of her condition in life. She was a woman 
of " substance." A very few of such adhered to our 
Lord in the days of his flesh ; and in no age of the 
Church have they been numerous. To them his 
cause has never been greatly indebted, and they have 
seldom done so much for its support and spread as 
the lower classes and common people. Their mode 
of life often disables them. They live up to their 
means, if not beyond them. They are not satisfied 
with a decent and allowable distinction from the vul- 
gar. They must be fine and splendid — others must 
not outshine them. The same system also must be 
perpetuated in their family ; and hence so much 
anxiety to lay up for the children. It is lamentable 
to think that a small part of what is often wasted in 
dress and furniture, in table luxury and fashionable 
amusement, would be sufficient to evangelize a vil- 
lage, support a school for the children of the needy, 
succor the poor who are ready to perish, and make 
the widow's heart to sing for joy. 

Secondly, It reminds us of Mary's generosity and 
liberality. She was aware of the design and value 
of property. She answered the claims, and enjoyed 
the pleasure of benevolence. She did good, was 
"rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to 
communicate." 

Thirdly, It shows her gratitude. Her liberality, 
indeed, in this case, was not so much charity, as a 
proper return for the benefits she had received from 
her Lord. What was a little property to the free* 
dom, and ease, and health, and enjoyment to which 



MARY MAGDALENE. 53 

she was now restored ? Had lier maladies continued. 



how much would she have expended upon hired at- 
tendants, useless remedies, and physicians of no value ? 
If religion makes frequent calls on the liberality of 
Christians, Christians should remember what demands 
it has upon them. How much do we owe to it, 
even as to temporal good things, for " godliness has the 
promise of the life that now is," as well as '' of that which 
is to come." Had not the Gospel taught them to ab- 
stain from vices which consume property, and ener- 
vate the constitution ; induced them to rise early instead 
of wasting their strength by lying late in bed, and to 
be active and diligent instead of being slothful and 
self-indulgent — what poor creatures might they have 
been, and how mu.ch of wh^ they now possess might 
they have expended in vanity and vexation of spirit. 

But where have I led you? Mary was under 
greater obligations to her Lord and Saviour than 
what were derived from her bodily deliverance. He 
had saved her soul with an everlasting salvation ; he 
had blessed her with all spiritual blessings in heavenly 
places ; he had numbered her with his saints, and 
admitted her into the household of faith ; — and would 
not his love in all this, constrain her to live not to 
herself but to him ? 

Come forward, Christian, and tell us what he has 
done for thy soul. Has he not delivered thee from 
the wrath to come ? Has he not freed thee from the 
bondage of corruption, and brought thee into the 
glorious liberty of his children? Has he not called 
thee to inherit a kingdom prepared before the foun- 
dation of the world? Has he not redeemed thee 
by his precious blood? And is he not ever living to 



54 



LECTURE IV. 



make intercession for thee, and to make all things 
work together for thy good ? And will you refase him 
a little pecuniary assistance ? What ought to be the 
one question with you, but " What shall I render 
to the Lord for all his benefits towards me?" and 
what your resolution, but — ■ 

"Ml that I am and all I have, 

Shall be for ever thine ; 
Whate'er my duty bids me give, 

My cheerful hands resign. 

Yet, if I might make some reserve, 

And duty did not call, 
I love my God with zeal so great. 

That I should give him all. 

But you ask, can we " minister" to him now ? Had 
I lived when he was upon earthy I would gladly have 
shown him every token of regard, I would have pressed 
him to my dwelling, and I would have made every 
sacrifice to meet not only his wants but his desires. 

Well, he is still in the world ; not indeed corpo- 
really, yet in such a manner as to try and prove the 
sincerity of your professed affection. Look to his 
church, look to his ministers, look to his members, 
look to his poor, and hear him say, '* he that receiveth 
these receiveth me ;" " inasmuch as ye did it unto one 
of the least of these my brethren, ye did it unto me." 

He who cured Mary by a miracle, could, by the 
exertion of the same power, have easily maintained 
himself without her ministrations ; but he was pleased 
to be indebted to her bounty, and to make the relief 
she dispensed, the means of dignifying her character. 
And thus it is now. He is Almighty, and indepen- 
dent of us in his resources, but not in his dispensations 



MARY MAGDALENE. 55 

and condescension. He could fulfil his designs and 
carry on his work without us ; but he chooses to 
engage and employ us, for our sakes rather than his 
own ; to evince our dispositions, to exercise our tal- 
ents, to improve our graces, and to honor and reward 
OUT services. 

But we are led to view this- female not only as a 
grateful and generous contributor to his support, but 
as an attendant on his ministry. " He went through- 
out every city and ^^iHage, preaching and showing 
the glad tidings of the kingdom of God ; and the 
twelve were with him, and certain women which had 
been healed of evil spirits and infirmities ;" and the 
first of the number is said to be Mary, called Magda- 
lene." We cannot wonder at this part of her conduct. 
Who would not, if it had been in their power, have 
followed such a teacher whithersoever he went, hang- 
ing upon his lips, and wondering at the gra,cious 
words that proceeded out of his mouth? Yet this 
part of her conduct is, perhaps, liable to an exception- 
able kind of imitation. It may be necessary there- 
fore to observe that there was something peculiar in 
this case. The excitement was extraordinary, " never 
man spake like this man." Our Lord was near to 
justify her. Mary was a woman of property, and it 
would seem had no family ties ; nor is it likely that 
she thus always attended our Saviour, but only on 
particular and occasional excursions. However this 
may be, we are sure that her example is not recorded 
to sanction those females who are idle, wandering 
about from house to house, even in religious habitudes, 
and roving after favorite preachers, to the neglect 
of common and relative duties. Eccentric zeal is 



56 LECTUKE IV. 

commonly more hurtM than beneficial ; public and 
ostentatious actions are much, more to be suspected 
than the regular sober engagements of our stations ; 
which, being performed without notice, require prin- 
ciple to produce them. In the course of my own 
observation, I have met with females whose zeal has 
exceeded their discretion ; they have been led astray 
by their favorite preachers ; and through their un- 
seasonable absences from home, and the frequency and 
lateness of their services, they have injured maternal 
economy, disaffected the minds of their husbands, 
deranged domestic order, and caused their good to be 
evil spoken of. Yet when reproved, they have resented 
it ; and when reproached, they have considered them- 
selves as suffering for righteousness' sake. The Lord 
preserve you from errors on the right hand as well 
as on the left; may he teach and enable you to " walk 
circumspectly, not as fools but as wise ;" and may 
" your love abound yet more and more in knowledge 
and in all judgment, that you may approve things 
that are excellent," and be not only " sincere," but 
" without offence till the day of Christ." 

Mary attended our Saviour in his last journey from 
Galilee to Jerusalem, and was a mournful spectator of 
his crucifixion. " Now there stood by the cross of 
JesuS; his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the 
wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene." These 
good women were not there with any view to his 
dehverance ; for what in such a case could they have 
effected? — but to sympathize with him, to observe 
his behavior, to hear and record his dying words, 
and to show how willing they were to be known as 
his followers, and to suffer with him. 



MARY MAGDALENE. 57 

And herein they appear to peculiar advantage : for 
when all the disciples, (except John, and he at first 
fled,) had forsaken their Lord, these females were not 
deterred by the dreadfulness of the scene, the re- 
proaches of the priests and scribes, or the fury of the 
populace. What affection and courage were here I 
and one of these was produced by the other ; for " per- 
fect love casteth out fear." In difficult duties and 
trials, much depends upon conviction, but more upon 
affection. " Love is strong as death — many waters 
cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it." 

Our Saviour has now yielded up the ghost, and 
we find Mary Magdalene one of the few who attended 
his burial. For when Joseph had gone "to Pilate 
and begged the body of Jesus, he took it down and 
wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that 
was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was 
laid ;" and " the women, also, which came with him 
from Galilee, followed after ^ and beheld the sepulchre, 
and how his body was laid, and they returned and 
prepared" spices and ointments." This was in order 
to embalm his precious corpse. The action was of a 
mixed nature. It was expressive of attachment, but 
it betrayed a \7ant of reflection and faith. Had they 
remembered the language of David's prophecy, had 
they believed what he himself had often told them, 
that he should rise again the third day, they would 
not have thought of embalming him who could see 
no corruption. But " a braised reed he will not break, 
and smoking flax will he not quench." He will not 
cast away his people for their imperfections. He look- 
eth to the heart, and in theii' endeavors to honor 
him, he pardons the evil and accepts the good. Mary's 

3* 



58 LECTUEE IV. 

1 

conduct, tlierefore, notwithstanding its infirmity and 
error, is recorded with approbation. 

Nothing can be more interesting than the remain- 
ing passages of her history, but the review of these 
must be reserved to another opportunity. 

In the meantime keep in memory what you have 
received, and be experimental and practical proofs, 
that " whatsoever things were written aforetime were 
written for our learning, that we through patience 
and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." — 
"Be ye not slothful, but followers of them who 
through faith and patience inherit the promises," 



LECTURE V. 

MAEY MAGDALENE. 

PART II. 

Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he 
appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven 
devils. — Mark, xvi. 9. 

We now resume tlie history of this extraordinary 
female. We liave seen her our Lord's patient, and 
delivered by him from a tremendous calamity. We 
have seen her grateful, and ministering to his temporal 
wants. • We have seen her a zealous attendant on his 
ministry, an heroical spectator of his death, and a 
deep mourner at his burial. 

Let us now proceed. 

Mary sleeps, but her heart waketh, and she is 
up early, and " at the sepulchre while it is yet dark." 
This was the first day of the week, and the first 
Christian Sabbath, called the " Lord's Bay," in 
memory of his rising from the dead and resting 
from his work of redemption, as God did from his 
work of creation ; and equally and infinitely deserving 
to be pronounced " very good." Since then, how 
many of these all-important seasons have revolved. 



60 LECTUEE V. 

Fifty -two of these " days of the Son of man " have 
annually returned. How many, then, in 1853 years, 
have blessed the world 1 And in^ these ninety-six 
thousand, three hundred and fifty-six sabbaths, how 
many prayers have been offered, how many praises 
have been sung, how many words of eternal life have 
been delivered, how many have been turned from 
darkness to light, and ^hat signs and wonders have 
been done " in the name of the holy child Jesus :" — and 
how many, encouraged, refreshed, and strengthened in 
the way everlasting, have " called the Sabbath a de- 
light, the holy of the Lord, honorable," and have 
gratefully and adoringly said, " This is the day the 
Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it !" 

Mary leads us back to the very commencement of 
the first of this immense and all-important series. 

Early as she was at the sepulchre, some one had been 
there before her, for " she saw the stone taken aAvay." 
This had occasioned her great anxiety as she was 
coming ; but when arrived she saw how groundless her 
apprehensions had been. This is not the only instance 
in which the followers of Christ have found things 
better than their forebodings and fears. Duties, in 
prospect and imagination deemed impracticable, and 
trials insupportable, have been easily performed and 
endured, when the proper and actual season came. 
" All these things are against me," said Jacob, when 
all were working together for him ; and after awhile, 
he found it as clear as it was true. The Lord gives 
grace to help in time of need, according to the prom- 
ise, *' as thy days so shall thy strength be." 

Without stopping to make any inquiry, and taking 
it for granted that the body was removed, either by 



MARY MAGDALENE. 61 

friends or foes, '' she runnetli, and cometh to Simon 
Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and 
saith nnto them, They have taken away the Lord out 
of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid 
him." Why did she not think that probably or pos- 
sibly he might be risen ? But she is disconcerted and 
disturbed by the very thing that naturally and ob- 
viously tended to convince and comfort her. 

It is easy to imagine how strangely this would ap- 
pear to herself afterwards. But in a cloudy and dark 
day, and while the mind is under the pressure of some 
powerful grief, such perplexing thoughts arise, and 
such improbable conclusions are drawn, as render us, 
in review and reflection, a wonder to ourselves. " I 
said in m}^ haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes ; 
nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplica- 
tion when I cried unto thee." 

What was the effect of her communication ? " Peter 
therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and 
came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together : and 
the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to 
the sepulchre." 

It is pleasing to observe, that though Peter had 
sadly denied his Lord, he has not forsaken the com- 
pany of the disciples, neither is he forsaken by them. 
The Saviour had looked upon him not only with an 
eye of reproof, but of compassion, and melted him into 
repentance ; and his disciples had imbibed his temper, 
and were disposed to "restore a brother overtaken in 
a fault, in the spirit of meekness, considering them- 
selves lest they also should be tempted." 

It is worthy also of notice, how constantly we find 
Peter and John connected in the sacred history. 



62 LECTURE V. 

What was tlie reason of tlieir peculiar intimacy? 
Eacli of them had a brother among the apostles ; but 
" there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." 

Attachments often depend on things which are not 
easily described or accounted for, or even ascertained. 
It is commonly supposed that those who attract each 
other and unite, must resemble each other. But 
Peter and John seem to have been more dissimilar 
than any other two of the apostles. Yet may not 
this very circumstance have been one of the causes 
of their peculiar union and fellowship ? Peter knew 
that the excellencies of John were opposed to his 
own imperfections, and would tend to meet and rec- 
tify them. 

And this leads us to remark how God varies his 
gifts, and how different are the endowments of good 
men, John was more contemplative, Peter more 
active ; John was more patient and affectionate, Peter 
more eager and severe ; John Avas the eye, Peter the 
hand ; John outruns Peter, Peter outbraves John ; 
John looks into the sepulchre, Peter enters. 

" Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and 
went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes 
lie, and the napkin that was about his head, not lying 
with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a 
place by itself." 

Here is an example of doing everything decently 
and in order ; but we principally remark from hence, 
the improbability of the pretence of his enemies that 
the body was taken away . 

There may be robbers of tombs ; but would they 
steal the corpse and leave the apparel, especially if it 
were fine linen ? Would they not rather carry away 



MARY MAGDALENE. 63 

the body in its grave clothes than naked. Yet if they 
did strip the body, would they, in such circumstances 
of haste and fear, fold them up and place them in sepa- 
rate positions ? 

And herein we see the inaptitude and backward- 
ness of the disciples to believe the Saviour's resurrec- 
tion. So far were they from being credulous as to 
that auspicious event, they seemed not to have thought 
of it. And we here find that even Peter and John, 
after their inspection of the grave, left it, concluding 
that all was over. " Then the disciples went away 
again unto their own home." 

JN"ot so Mary. She did not, could not leave the in- 
spiring spot. " Mary stood without at the sepulchre 
weeping." How natural was this sorrow at the thought 
of his sufferings, and the loss she had sustained of his 
presence by his death, and now even of his sacred 
body by wickedness and fraud. And does she weep 
and seek in vain ? " And as she wept, she stoop- 
ed down, and looked into the sepulchre, and seeth 
two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and 
the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain." 

We say nothing of the number, the attire, or the at- 
titude, of these angels ; but you may ask, how was it 
that Peter and John, when they looked into the sepul- 
chre, did not see them as well as Mary ? To which 
we answer, that those heavenly beings can render them- 
selves visible and invisible at pleasure ; they also act 
under authority, for though they " excel in strength," 
they " do his commandments, hearkening unto the 
voice of his word;" and they were now directed only 
to encourage and comfort Mary. 



64 LECTURE V. 

Hence tliej immediately and kindly inquire into 
her distress — " Woman, why weepest thou ?" One 
naturally expects, as in the various instances of old, 
that Mary would have been not only surprised but 
terrified at the sight and dress of these celestial visit- 
ants ; but we find nothing of this in heir ; and what 
would more fully prove our remark, her mind was so 
wholly absorbed in her present concern, that no oc- 
currence, however extraordinary, could divert her 
from it. 

She therefore replies — " Because they have taken 
away my Lord, and I know not where they have 
laid him." Still, here is no thought of his resurrec- 
tion ! But, ! Mary, does thy distress yet continue ? 
Can no creature satisfy thee ? Will not even angels 
serve as a substitute for thy Lord and Saviour ? Art 
thou saying — "Whom have I in heaven but him? 
and there is none on earth that I desire besides 
him. Where is he whom my soul loveth?" Thou 
shalt soon find him. 

She has hardly answered these heavenly messengers, 
before she hears the tread of some one behind her ; 
and "turning herself back, she saw Jesus standing, 
and knew not that it was Jesus." The Lord is nigh 
unto them that are of a broken heart, and often does 
for them more than they ask or think. Mary only' 
inquires for his dead body, and, lo ! the living Saviour 
himself appeared I Thus he may be near us, and even 
with us, and we not be aware of his presence. 

To account for Mary's ignorance, we have only to 
reflect that her mind was filled with grief, that her 
eyes were suffused with tears, and that he appeared 



MAEY MAGDALENE. 65 

in a dress he had never worn before. But if Mary 
does not know him, he knows her^ and says unto her, 
"Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?" 
But did he not know? He had seen her early ap- 
proach ; he had witnessed her sighs as she surveyed 
the sepulchre. Yes, he perfectly knew Mary's grief 
and Mary's desire, but he would know them from 
herself. He knows all our sins and their aggrava- 
tions better than we do, but he requires us to confess 
them ; and he knows all our wants and their circum- 
stances better than we ourselves do, but he requires 
us to express them, that we may be affected by them, 
and be prepared for the display of his mercy and 
grace. 

These words were the first he spoke when he arose 
from the dead, and they shoAved that he rose with 
the same heart with which he died ; and that, though 
he had begun to enter into his glory, he had not 
forgotten his followers on earth. 

But " she supposed him to be the gardener." The 
mistake was not wonderful. She was now in a gar- 
den, and it was likely that a rich man like Joseph 
would have a man to dress it, and who might be 
early at his work. But what does she mean when 
she says — •" Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell 
me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him 
away." She could not do this personally, and she 
was not sure of doing it by means of others. Would 
not his enemies have opposed it? Would Joseph, 
who had begged the body, and lodged it in his own 
tomb, have been willing to allow it ? And what 
would she have done with the corpse, had her wish 



66 LECTURE V. 

been fulfilled ? Here we see the nature and force of 
love. Fear says — "there's a lion in the way, I shall 
be slain in the street ;" but love overlooks difficul- 
ties, judges of success by wish or endeavor, and 
seems to think of nothing but its achievement It is 
said, " The people that do know their God shall be 
strong, and do exploits;" and from the darings of 
faith and zeal they have accomplished a thousand 
things which indolence and cowardice would have 
deemed no better than madness or presumption. 

Our Lord would now manifest himself to her ; and 
the manner in which he does this is the most simple, 
suitable, and striking. He does not chide her for 
any of her mistakes, nor does he break forth in the 
rays of his glory. Great emotions are dangerous — 
our frame cannot bear excessive excitement. When 
the news of the surrender of Cornwallis and his army 
was announced, the doorkeeper of the American 
congress fell down dead. When Gabriel appeared 
to Daniel, "My comeliness," says Daniel, "was turned 
in me to corruption, and. I retained no strength." 
The Saviour might have shown himself in a way that 
would have deprived Mary of the use of her sense and 
reason. He, therefore, says enough just to awaken 
attention, and gently set her mind in motion without 
overpowering her. He uses only one word, and this 
was not his own name, but hers. — "Jesus saith unto 
her, MaryT This mildly and yet completely discovers 
him as the speaker, for she knows his voice, and could 
gay with the church, " It is the voice of my beloved." 
This may, in a measure, be physically accounted for. 
The aperture of the voice in the throat, though so 



MARY MAGDxVLENE. 67 

small in diameter, is capable of issuing numberless 
sounds, not two of wbicli are perfectly alike. Hence 
persons are recognized by the voice as well as by the 
siglit. When Joseph made himself known to his 
brethren, saying, " I am Joseph your brother, whom 
ye sold into Egypt," it is probable they remembered 
his voice, though they had not heard it for more than 
twenty years. I have known instances of vocal 
recognitions of a longer date. Mary had often heard 
the Saviour in public and in private ; and would she 
ever forget the accents of those lips into which " grace 
was poured," or the manner of one " who spake as 
never man spake " ? 

A circumstance is noticed here which seems more 
distinctly to recall to mind this affecting scene. Mary 
" turned herself," as she had done before, when she 
supposed she saw the gardener. Her doing this 
again shows that she had in the meantime resumed 
her first posture, and was still gazing with weeping 
eyes towards the sepulchre. 

It appears, too, that the moment she recognized 
the Saviour, she was filled with unutterable sentiments ; 
she cried, " Eabboni ; which is to say. Master," and she 
fell at his feet to embrace them and adore. But " Jesus 
saith unto her. Touch me not ; for I am not yet as- 
cended to my Father : but go to my brethren, and say 
unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father ; 
and to my God, and your God." 

This prohibition -^vas in a great measure personal 
and temporary ; for we find that when he appeared 
to the women who were fleeing from the sepulchre, 
they were permitted to embrace him ; " they came 



68 LECTURE V. 

and held. Mm by the feet, and worshipped him." 
This was allowed them to calm their minds and re- 
move their terror, for they were sore afraid. But 
Mary was not under such alarm, and her grief was 
dispersed by his calling her by name. The circum- 
stances of an action so exceedingly vary, that what 
is proper for one person, place, or season, may be 
improper for another. 

The prohibition of Mary was founded on two things. 
The one was that the Saviour was not immediately 
ascending, and she would have other opportunities of 
doing him homage. The other, that the state of his 
disciples was such, that it was necessary for them to 
be assured of his resurrection without delay, and 
therefore she should prefer usefulness to indulgence. 

What a disposition does this discover in our Lord 
and Saviour. He pleased not himself; he preferred 
the consolation of his disciples to the personal honor 
he was going to receive. 

We also admire Mary. She submits without rea- 
soning or complaint. It is enough for her to know 
that he is alive, and that she has an opportunity to 
prove her regard to his authority. " Mary Magda- 
lene came and told the disciples that she had seen the 
Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her." . 
Let us learn, like her, to do his v/ill implicitly, denying 
ourselves, and " looking not every man on his own 
things, but every man also upon the things of others," 
and especially the things that are Jesus Christ's. 

To conclude, all this should animate and encourage 
us. We are assured, not by promises only, but by 
examples, that if we seek him he will be found of us ; 



MAKY MAaDALENE. 69 

that though for awhile we may be perplexed and 
afflicted, the Lord will in due time appear to our joj, 
and we shall not be ashamed. 

Thus we see this woman sowing in tears and reap- 
ing in joy. She was the first that saw the Lord after 
he rose from the dead ; the first that heard him speak ; 
the first that published his resurrection. She was 
therefore an apostle to his apostles. 

With propriety, therefore, have we brought her so 
largely under your review, as a character whom the 
Lord delighted to honor. 

But you will observe, that though God's grace is 
sovereign, his rewards are conferred according to an 
established order, and this is the law of the house, — 
^' To him that hath shall be given, and he shall have 
more abundantly." " Then shall we know, if we fol- 
low on to know the Lord." 

Mary had not only been distinguished by her afflic- 
tion and deliverance, but by her devotedness to the 
Saviour, by her fortitude and constancy, and by her 
zeal in his service. And we know who hath said, 
" Them that, honor me I will honor, and they that 
despise me shall be hghtly esteemed." 

Finally, what a paradise must this garden have 
been to Mary, Could she ever disregard or forget 
the spot, or the interview she there enjoyed? Yet 
she soon had another and a nobler interview, when 
she saw him, not trembling at the mouth of the 
grave, but with every tear wiped from her eyes ; he 
in his glory, and she ever with the Lord. 

And such an interview awaits all who love our Lord 
Jesus Christ in sincerity ; for though "it doth not yet 



70 LECTURE V. 

appear what they shall be," this thej^ " know that 
when he shall appear, they shall be like him, for they 
shall see him as he is." 

Happy he who can say, " As for me, I will be- 
hold thy face in righteousness ; I shall be satisfied 
when I awake with thy likeness." 



♦ 



LECTURE VL 

HANNAH, 

PART I. 

And she said, O my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the 
■woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this 
child I prayed ; and the Lord hath given me ray petition which I 
asked of him.— 1 Sam., i. 26, 27. 

To know persons completely, it is necessary to 
view them in various situations and conditions. 
Character is not onl}^ displayed by trials, but it very 
much results from them. Both prosperity and ad- 
versity are states of acknowledged temptation ; and few 
can equally encounter such opposite dangers. Few 
are equally furnished with "the armor of righteous- 
ness on the right hand and on the left," and through 
honor and dishonor, evil report and good report, 
hopes disappointed and wishes accomplished, can alike 
maintain their heavenly principles, and glorify God in 
their body and spirit, which are his. 

But the wisdom* that is from above can teach this 
dif&cult lesson ; and under its divine influence persons 
have been enabled to accommodate themselves to 
every varying scene ; in affliction they have not been 
swallowed up by overmuch sorrow, and in success 
and indulgence they have not been exalted above 



72 LECTUEE VI. 

measure. Troubles have issued in prayer, and mer- 
cies have gendered confidence and praise. 

Of this Paul is an illustrious example — " For," 
said he, "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, 
therewith to be content. I know both how to be 
abased, and I know how to abound ; everywhere and 
in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be 
hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can 
do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." 

Another instance of this attainment is now to pass 
under our review, in this brief but interesting history 
of Hannah. 

Let us know her heart's bitterness, and intermeddle 
with her joy. 

She first comes before us in circumstances of dis- 
appointment and mortification. Her affliction was 
aggravated by reproach, for " her adversary provoked 
her sore, for to make her fret,' because the Lord had 
shut up her womb." But who was this adversary ? 
She was one of her own household, for Elkanah, her 
husband, had two wives. Hannah seems to have 
been the first; but as she afforded no offspring, he 
probably took Peninnah, in hopes of supplying the 
deficiency. Abraham had done this with regard to 
Sarah ; and what was the consequence ? "We now see 
the effects of his unbelief, and impatience, and of turn- 
ing aside to crooked ways, instead of walking uprightly. 
And in the case before us, was the conduct of Elkanah 
justified by the result ? Let us read and see. 

In the days of Malachi this evih practice abounded ; 
and observe how the prophet speaks of it. " The 
Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of 
thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherous- 



HANNAH. 73 

Ij; yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy 
covenant. And did not he make ohe ? Yet had he 
the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one ? That he 
might seek a godl}^ seed." Here we find that mar- 
riage was originally confined to a single pair ; and we 
see the reason. It was not from want of power or 
kindness in Grod. He conld have made more than 
one Eve for Adam, and wonld have done it had his 
welfare required it. But it was because of the advan- 
tage derivable from individual union, especially with 
regard to the children who should arise from it, and 
be trained up in the nurture and admonition of the 
Lord. And our Saviour in answering the question 
of the disciples said, "Moses, because of the hardness 
of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives : 
but from the beginning it was not so," clearly deciding 
that polj' gamy was never a duty, but a permission ; 
and that the permission was a stigma on their 
national character, and did not alter the nature of the 
evil itself SujDpose polygamy was not prohibited 
by precept, or condemned by penalty, there would 
surely be enough against it ; if it can be proved in- 
expedient, unreasonable, injurious, pernicious to the 
welfare of children, subversive of the order, and peace, 
and happiness of families. 

Hannah's adversarj^ seems peculiarly unprincipled 
and ill-disposed. A noble mind is always generous 
and sympathizing. If it possesses any exclusive ad- 
vantages, it will not be forward to display and boast 
of them ; and if it sees a fellow creature in a humbler 
situation, it will not labor to increase his sense of 
deficiencies, but rather to diminish and soften it. 
But Peninnah delights in another's pain and humilia- 

4 



74 LECTURE VI. 

tion. She values herself on what implies no merit, 
and derides another for that which is purely her mis- 
fortune and affliction. 

" The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy." 
But we may observe, that though envy loves to ex- 
pose the defects of another, it springs from his excel- 
lencies or advantages, and feeds upon some real or 
imaginary privilege. Accordingly, we are here inform- 
ed of the occasion of this woman's present malevolence. 
It is well known that at the Jewish festivals a part 
of the victims offered in sacrifice was allowed to the 
offerer, upon which he and his family and friends 
afterwards feasted. At this season Elkanah treated 
Hannah with peculiar attention and distinction. " And 
when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to 
Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daugh- 
ters, portions ; but unto Hannah he gave a worthy 
portion." It is called in the margin a double portion. 
To give such portion was a usage expressive of 
gTcat preference. It has been asked, was the marked 
partiality in this case justifiable ? Some have been 
disposed to commend, and others to blame. There 
is a considerable difference between the feeling and 
the expression of partiality ; the one is much more 
in our power than the other. The display of it is 
commonly prejudicial to the object. Who does not 
remember the " coat of many colors" ? I have more 
than once seen a bird distinguished by a piece of 
red ribbon ; and no sooner flying off than pursued 
and assaulted by some of the same species till beaten 
to the ground. 

The blame we attach to a man is not always so 
much for acting wrong, as for bringing himself into 



HANNAH. 75 

circumstances and conditions which will hardly allow 
of his acting right. Piety says, " In all thy ways ac- 
knowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths ;" and 
Prudence says, " Ponder the path of thy feet, and let 
all thy ways be established." Elkanah forgets this, 
and his folly fixes him in a state that leaves him not 
the possibility of escaping evil and reproach. His 
partiahty seemed demanded, and yet it draws upon 
the favorite fresh trouble, and increased insults from 
her rival, whose sons and daughters would naturally 
follow the example of the mother. "It is better to 
dwell in the corner of the house-top, than with a brawl- 
ing woman, and in a wide house." *' Better is a dinner 
of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred 
therewith." What then must this good man feel, to 
find his spirit ruffled even in his religious exercises, 
and domestic strifes and contentions indulged under 
the eye of God, and in the service of the sanctuary ? 
What could Peninnah think of approaching the altar 
of the Grod of peace and love with a temper full of 
envy and malice, and a tongue " set on fire of hell" ? 
How much better is omission than perversion, and 
neglect than inconsistency ? Shall blessing and curs- 
ing proceed out of the same mouth ? " Keep thy 
foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be 
more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools : 
for they consider not that they do evil." " There- 
fore, if thou bring th}^ gift to the altar, and there 
rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee ; 
leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ; 
first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and 
offer thy gift." "I will, therefore, that men pray 



76 LECTURE VI. 

everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and 
doubting." 

Year after year Hannah had been accustomed to 
bear all this provocation, and till now she seems to 
have endured it patiently. But where is the mind 
that always continues in one frame ? Where, unless 
in him who was " fairer than the children of men," do 
we find grace that never declines in kind or degree ? 
It is much to the honor of Hannah that even now her 
temper is calm, and that she renders not railing for 
railing; but her tender spirit at last begins to sink, 
and her full heart to break. " Therefore she wept, 
and did not eat. Then said Elkanah, her husband, 
to her, Hannah, why weepest thou ? and why eatest 
thou not ? and why is thy heart grieved ? am not I 
better to thee than ten sons ?" But soothing as this 
was, it produced no effect. She therefore ^' rose up ;" 
and whither does she go ? She repairs to the temple, 
and gives herself unto prayer. " God is known in 
his palaces for a refuge ;" and every experienced be- 
hever will say — 

lu every new distress, 

I'll to his house repair ; 
I'll think upon his wondrous grace, 

And seek deliverance there. 

Observe the difference of persons in trouble. Natu- 
ral men — men of the world — in their affliction, 
commonly flee to creatures, either to accuse them as 
the instruments of their sufferings, or to derive from 
them the means of their relief But a man taught 
from above avoids both these evils. Instead of 



HANNAH. 77 

quarrelling Avitli instruments, he says, " It is tlie 
Lord, let him do what seemeth him good." And in- 
stead of depending upon creature comforters, he says, 
" Therefore will I look unto the Lord ; I will wait for 
the God of my salvation ; mj^ God will hear me." 
" Is any afflicted ?" says James, " let him pray." 
Prayer brings us into the presence of God ; and inter- 
course with him checks every evil passion, calms the 
troubled breast, and brings the mind into a state of 
preparedness for every dispensation. And while it is 
thus useful by its exercise^ what may we not hope 
for from its answers ? For he " never said to the 
seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain." Who has not 
entered this sanctuary ? Who has not tried this 
resource ? Who has not ascertained its success ? 
Who has not said, ''It is good for me to draw near 
to God r 

To return to Hannah. " And she was in bitterness 
of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore." 
The following circumstances attending this prayer are 
recorded, and worthy of attention : — 

First^ It was accompanied with a vow, expressed 
in language the most suitable and pious. " And she 
vowed a vow, and said, Lord of hosts, if thou wilt 
indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and 
remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but 
wilt give unto thine handmaid a man-child, then I 
will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, 
and there shall no razor come upon his head." Are 
we desiring anything of God ? We ought to think 
of him^ as well as of ourselves. It is thus we pray 
according to his will, and then we may know that he 
heareth us. But many " ask and receive not, because 



78 LECTUEE VI. 

tliej ask amiss, tliat they may consume it upon their 
lusts." Many never look beyond their own accom- 
modation and indulgence, and therefore there is 
nothing conditional in their importunity. But a good 
man has always a reserve in his desires as to all 
temporal things. He refers himself to the divine wis- 
dom for the propriety of the success of his petitions, 
and cannot desire to be gratified unless Grod is glorified. 
And he wishes God not only to be glorified in his 
trials, but also honored in all his blessings. Therefore, 
if he has wealth, he will inquire how it can be sancti- 
fied ; if he has genius, how it can be employed ; if he 
has children, how he may train them up in the fear 
and service of God. 

Secondly^ Observe the manner of her devotion. 
'' And it came to pass, as she continued praying before 
the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, 
she spake in her heart ; only her lips moved, but her 
voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she had 
been drunken." 

This implies the nature of her case. It was a pe- 
cuhar one, and one which she could not pour into every 
ear. There are things which we may not be at liberty 
to communicate to the nearest relation, or to the 
dearest friend ; but to God only. 

Hereby she testified her belief that God was omni- 
scient. She knew that words were not necessary to 
inform a being to whom all hearts are open, all desires 
known, and from whom no secret is hid. It is better 
to want language than disposition when we address 
him, who " seeketh such to worship him as worship in 
spirit and in truth," 

It showed also, that in dealing mth God, she 



HANNAH. 79 

desired the notice of none besides him. Jeliu said, 
"Come, see my zeal for the Lord of hosts." The 
Pharisees prayed in the corners of the streets, and to 
be seen of men. "Bat," says the Saviour, "thou, 
when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when 
thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is 
in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret, shall 
reward thee openly." The temple, as well as the 
closet, is a place appointed for prayer ; but though 
the devotion be public in the performance, it may be 
private in the experience, and in the midst of a mul- 
titude we may have to do with God only. 

Thirdly^ Observe the misconception and censure 
to which it gave rise. " Eli thought she had been 
drunken. And Eli said unto her. How long wilt thou 
be drunken? put away thy wine from thee." This 
was the very reproach which Peter and his fellows met 
with on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost gave 
them utterance in so many languages which they had 
never learned. The multitude " mocking, said, These 
men are Kill of new wine." But this reproach came 
from enemies. But here we find a good man, a man 
with whom days should speak — a man, even the priest 
of the Most High God, issuing an equally rash censure. 
May we not, therefore, infer that others are liable 
to similar erroneous decisions? Eli mistook, by 
making outAvard appearances and equivocal circum- 
stances the ground of his sad conclusion^ And hence 
the command, " Judge not according to the appear- 
ance, but judge righteous judgment." 

Some thus err by attaching importance to opinions 
of their own devising, and rules of their own forming 
in religion, and so conceive unfavorably of every one 
m proportion as they deviate from them. 



80 LECTUEE VI. 

Some err bj hearkening to the statements of others, 
and omitting such investigations as would lead them, 
as much to esteem a character as they now condemn. 

Some err in judging by the effects of constitutional 
temperament. They find a man of gTeat vivacity, 
and loquaciousness, and ready to speak on all occa- 
sions, and to every one he meets, concerning his own 
experience and the things of God ; and they set him 
down as a very lively Christian, and of great spiritu- 
ality. They see another shrinking from observation, 
and seemingly afraid to open his lips, lest he should 
utter more than he feels ; and they consider him as a 
lifeless soul, and under the fear of man. But if they 
duly reflected, and judged properly, they would ascribe 
much to the mercury of the one and the phlegm of 
the other, which affect them in all other things as 
well as in religion. 

Many are too much biased in their judgment by 
real faults and failings. These need not be pleaded 
for ; but through natural infirmity there may be much 
irregularity, where there is also not a little share of 
sincerity. Our Saviour compassionately said of the 
disciples whom he ought not to have found sleeping, 
" The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 
We are called to "bear one another's burdens," and 
if a brother be overtaken in a fault, the spiritual are 
to "restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, 
considering tjiemselves lest they also be tempted." 

Seeing, then, we are in so much danger of judging 
wrongfully, let us remember the admonition of the 
apostle, " Let us not judge one another .any more ;" 
and let us pray for that charity which " beareth all 
things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endur« 



HANNAH. 81 

eth all things." Especially let ns guard against 
vilifying or censuring the devotion of others, or the 
mode of their worship ; lest we deem as hypocrisy, or 
fanaticism, or superstition, what is truly conscientious 
and accepted of God. 

To return to Eli. AlloAving a strangeness in 
Hannah's manner, and a peculiarity in her appear- 
ance, surely her general conduct might have led him 
to judge her less cruelly and criminally than to charge 
her with drunkenness in the very house of God. 

K any excuse could be made for him, it would 
perhaps be this — It is probable that he had seen many 
abuses of this kind, some even in his own family, and 
he may have stationed himself by a part of the temple 
to observe, and endeavor to repress such scandals. 
The guilty often occasion suspicions and reproaches 
with regard to the innocent. When a disease is epi- 
demical, many are feared who are not infected. David 
had been cruelly deceived by Ahitophel, and therefore 
said in his haste, " All men are liars." 

Observe, Fourthly, the manner in which Hannah re- 
ceived the sad and insulting rebuke. " And-Hannab 
answered and said, No, my lord; I am a woman 
of a sorrowful spirit ; I have drunk neither wine nor 
strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the 
Lord. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of 
Belial; for out of the abundance of my complaint 
and grief have I spoken hitherto." This was admir- 
able. She makes no rash appeal to Heaven, such as 
is often the effect and proof of hardened guilt. She 
utters no bitter complaint against her accuser. She 
does not bid him to look at home, and upbraid him 
with the conduct of his own sons. She does not tell 

4* 



82 LECTUEE VI. 

Mm how ill and unbecoming it was for one, in Ms 
place and office, to abuse a poor disconsolate woman 
at tlie footstool of divine mercy. Slie knew that a 
proper representation of her condition and conduct 
in respectful language would be the best argument in 
her favor, and would possess the good but mistaken 
man with better notions respecting her ; and so it fell 
out. "Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: 
and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou 
hast asked of him." Eli was an imperfect character, 
yet there were in him traces of real excellencies, and 
his ingenuousness is one of them. 

He is open to conviction, and willing to acknowl- 
edge himself mistaken, and ready to make amends 
for the injury he had done her, by his blessing and his 
prayers. A lively writer has said, " I was mistaken " 
are the three hardest words to pronounce in the Eng- 
lish language. Yet it seems but acknowledging that 
we are wiser than we were before to see our error, 
and humbler than we were before to own it. But so 
it is; and Goldsmith observes that Frederic the 
Great did himself more honor by his letter to his 
senate, stating that he had just lost a great battle by 
his own fault, than by all the victories he had won. 
Perhaps our greatest perfection here is not to escape 
imperfections, but to see and acknowledge, and 
lament, and correct them. 

Finally^ Observe her relief and satisfaction. " And 
she said. Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. 
So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her 
countenance was no more sad." Her satisfaction 
arose from two things. First, the rectifying Eli's 
mistake concerning her, and the blessing he liad pro- 



HANNAH. 83 

nounced upon her ; for what can be more consoling 
than to stand fair in the judgment of those we value ? 
" To live in the estimation of the wise and good," 
says Eobinson, " is like walking in an eastern spice 
grove." 

Secondly, the confidence in God, which is derived 
from prayer. Before the blessing we ask in prayer is 
actually gTanted, it may be anticipated ; and therefore 
it is said, '' Let the heart of them rejoice that seek 
God," and " Blessed are they that hunger and thirst 
after righteousness, for they shall be filled." We may 
entirely rely upon God's Avord in his own wa}^ : — 
such "hope maketh not ashamed." It is thus he 
keeps in perfect peace the minds of those that are 
stayed upon him, because they trust in him. Says 
Hannah, I have spread my case before him, and I 
have left all with him, and all will be well — well if he 
were to deny me ; but " he will regard the prayer of 
the destitute, and not despise their prayer. This 
shall be written for the generation to come, and the 
people that shall be created shall praise the Lord." 

And what says her experience to all the Lord's fol- 
lowers ? " Be careful for nothing ; but in everything 
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your 
requests be made known unto God ; and the peace of 
God which passeth all understanding shall keep your 
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." 

But they must now leave Shiloh and return to 
Ramah ; for there was their home, and there they were 
to re-enter on the ordinary duties, enjoyments, and 
cares of life. But see, even on this occasion, their 
diligence and their devotion : " And they rose up in 
the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, 



84 LECTUEE VI. 

and returned." It is good to begin the day early 
with God; and whatever lies before us, to seek first 
his favor and assistance. When persons are in such 
haste as to set out on a journey, or engage in any 
enterprise, without asking counsel of God, and feeling 
their dependence upon him, they are not likely to 
succeed ; or success is not likely to prove a blessing. 
Nor will it avail them to plead the want of time, for 
"there is a time for every purpose and every work," 
and if leisure be not found, diligence, prudence, econ- 
omy, and early rising will furnish it. 



LECTURE VII. 

HANNAH. 



PART II. 

For this child I prayed ; and the Lord hath given me my petition 
which I asked of him. — 1 Sam., i. 27. 

The birtli of a child is one of the most important 
events that ever takes place in our world. But for 
the frequency of the occurrence, it would be deemed 
little less than a miracle of nature and providence. 
The structure of the body, the powers of the soul, 
the union of flesh and spirit, the provision made to 
nourish and preserve life, all proclaim that we are 
" fearfully and wonderfully made." 

The birth of any infant is a far greater event than 
the production of the sun. The sun sees not his own 
light, feels not his own heat, and, with all his gran- 
deur, will cease to be ; but that infant which began 
to breathe only yesterday, will hear the heavens pass 
away with a great noise, and see the elements melt 
with fervent heat. That infant is possessed of reason, 
conscience, and immortality. It is true these prin- 
ciples are not yej; developed, but they are in embryo, 
and the oak is contained in the acorn, and the day 
in the dawn. 



86 LECTURE VII. 

There is also a relative, as well as a personal im- 
portance attached to the birth of a child ; for who 
knows what that child maj become, what good or 
evil he may occasion, what misery or happiness he 
may produce ? 

The birth of Samuel vfas attended with circum- 
stances peculiarly important and interesting. It 
was a blessing much desired, and long delayed. It 
was obtained in answer to prayer, and produced one 
of the most holy, useful, and illustrious characters in 
all history. No wonder, therefore, the Scripture so 
signalizes the event. Let us pursue the history. 

Hannah had prayed to be remembered, and " the 
Lord remembered her, and she conceived ;" and thus 
her grand wish was accomplishing, and she was be- 
coming the joyful mother, not only of a child, but of 
a son that would more than realize all her expecta- 
tions and wishes. And can she forget him who has 
thus graciouslj^ remembered her f 

Ist^ The very name shall perpetuate the memory of 
the mercy. " And she called his name Samuel, saying, 
Because I have asked him of the Lord." Thus she 
could never pronounce the name without recalling 
the occasion. After the same manner, Joseph and 
Moses named tlieir children, to be momentos ; and so, 
Samuel called the stone he had set up, '' Ebenezer, say- 
ing. Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." So let it be 
with us. 

Why should the wonders he liath wrought, 
Be lost in silence and forgot ? 

^' Bless the Lord, my soul !" says David, " and 
forget not all his benefits." 

Secondly, She undertakes the early care of him in 



HANNAH. 87 

person. When, therefore, Elkanah and his family" 
went up as usual to Shiloh, she determined to remain 
at home for this very purpose. " She said unto her 
husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned." 
Here we find Hannah in a state of reduced activity, 
and partial confinement ; a state the most interest- 
ing ; a state of pleasing expectation and awful anxiety, 
week after week, and month 'after month, concerning 
a life to be preserved, and a life given, with their re- 
spective consequences. 

In this state the utmost attention, and kindness, 
and tenderness, were her well- deserved due ; and it 
is pleasing to see the exemplariness of her husband in 
his disposition and behavior towards her. 

Though all the males Avere required to repair to 
Shiloh thrice in the year, the obligation did not ex- 
tend to females. K the}^ loved the sanctuary, and 
desired the privilege of attendance, they travelled with 
their husbands, and went to the house of God in com- 
pany, when their situation and circumstances allowed. 
But frequently this was not the case ; and everything 
is to be " done decently and in order ;" and " if one 
duty," says Bishop Hopkins, " destroys another, Grod 
rejects it as a murderer." He requires mercy and 
not sacrifice, and dispenses \\'itli public institutions 
when we are obeying private and domestic calls. 

Hannah cheerfully bore the loss of Shiloh's privi- 
leges, in order to discharge a home obligation ; and 
Elkanah acquiesces in her proposal, and dispenses 
with her company and conversation ; and, how good 
and pleasant it is, when yoke-fellows draw the same 
way, each according with the other, especially in all 
the concerns of economy, charity, and piety. "And 



88 LECTUEE VII. 

Elkanali, lier husband, said unto her, Do what seemeth. 
thee good : tarrj until thou have weaned him ; onlj 
the Lord establish his word. So the woman abode, 
and gave her son suck until she weaned him." 

Here, we have an opportunity to saj a few words 
with regard to a common, and, we fear, increasing, 
evil : I mean the abandonment of maternal nursing. 

Surely, nothing can be a more ungrateful return, 
than to treat with neglect and disdain the provision 
which the goodness and kindness of God have obvi- 
ously made for the performance of this duty. 

And is it not a violence offered to nature ; and such 
a violence as is unknown to all the inferior animals, 
and to the moSt barbarous nations, and to the polished 
Greeks and Eomans in their purer ages ? 

Were I to speak of its physical injuriousness, I 
might seem to get off my own ministerial and moral 
ground. But, here, I can appeal for my censure to 
proper and qualified authorities. Have not the most 
eminent physicians told us, that the sudden check of 
the nutritious fluid may be of the worst consequences 
to the mother, by gendering disease^ and even risking 
life itself? Have they not told us that there are 
many disorders incident to women, of which their 
nursing is the most effectual cure ; that delicate con- 
stitutions are strengthened by it ; that when a mother 
suckles her child, her complexion becomes clearer, 
her spirits more uniformly cheerful, her appetite more 
regular, and her general habits stronger ? Have they 
not affirmed even, that fewer women die while they 
are nursing, than at any equal period of their lives ? 
Have they not told us what injury the babe may sus- 
tain, by being deprived of its own natural nourishment ; 



HANNAH. 89 

yea, and tliat a far greater number of tliose children 
die that are nursed by aliens, than of such as are 
nursed maternally ? And is it not strange that a 
mother should deprive herself of the most exquisite 
pleasure of tender and endeared sympathy and kindness ; 
or that a woman of sensibility can see the darling of 
her soul hanging on the breast of another, and stroking 
the cheek of a stranger ; engrossing her maternal 
rights, and sure to be more loved than herself? 

Hannah not only nurses her own child, but dedi- 
cates him to the Lord. " And when she had 
weaned him, she took liim up with her, with three 
bullocks, and one epliah of flour, and a bottle of wine, 
and brought him unto the house of the Lord in Shiloh : 
and the child was young. And they slew a bullock, 
and brought the child to Eli. And she said, Oh my 
lord! as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman 
that stood by thee here, prajdng unto the Lord. For 
this child I prayed ; and the Lord hath given me my 
petition which I asked of him." What a number of 
reflections arises from hence. 

We see what changes in conditions and feelings 
individuals may experience. At evening-time it may 
be light, and the shadow of death may be turned into 
the morning. The Jews, when the Lord turned again 
their captivity, were like men that dream ; the de- 
liverance was so great, sudden, and unlooked-for. 
Never therefore despond. To use what Cowper calls 
the beautiful words of Dr. Watts : — 

The Lord eau clear the darkest skies, 

Can gives us day for uight ; 
Make drops of sacred sorrow rise 

To rivers of delight. 



90 LECTUEE VII. 

We see tliat tlie Lord will cause earnest persevering 
prayer, in due time, to yield matter for praise. It is 
his character — " thou that hearest prayer." 'Tis 
his promise — '^ Ask and it shall be given you." 'Tis 
his memorial in all generations — " He never said to 
the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain." 

We see that the answers of prayers ought to be ob- 
served and noticed. Many never think of their prayers 
after they have offered them ; but is it not a mockery 
of the Supreme Being to call forth his attention, by an 
appearance of devotion, when we never mean to re- 
gard his benefits ? It was otherwise with Moses. 
" The Lord," says he, " hearkened unto me at that 
time also." So it was with David. " The Lord," 
says he, ^' hath heard the voice of my weeping ;" 
and he derives two advantages from the observation — 
gratitude and confidence. ^' I love the Lord, because 
he hath heard my voice, and my supplications. Be- 
cause he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will 
I call upon him as long as I live." 

We should also remark that it is our duty, not only 
to observe, but to own and confess such returns of 
mercy, for the glory of Grod, and for the sake of others, 
that they also may be encouraged to trust and pray. 
" Come," says David, " come and hear, all ye that 
fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for 
my soul. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, 
and delivered me from all my fears. magnifj^ the 
Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together." 

Again, hear this admirable thanksgiver, " There- 
fore also I have lent him to the Lord ; as long as he 
livetli he shall be lent to the Lord." Yows made ought 
to be remembered and fulfilled. We are not fond of 



HANXAH. 91 

vowing; we mucli prefer praying. "Beware/' says 
Cowper, 

" Beware of Peter's word, 
Nor confidently say 
I never will deuy Thee, Lord, 
But, Grant I never may." 

But vows are not Tinlawfal nor useless, when formed in 
the strength of divine grace; "But," says Solomon, 
"when thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay 
it, for he hath no pleasure in fools ; pay that which thou 
hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, 
than that thou shouldest vow and not pay." Yet how 
many transgressors are here. How many have vowed 
how liberal they would be if God would prosper them 
in their endeavors to get wealth ; but when riches have 
increased they have set their heart upon them ; and 
have even done less in the cause of God and of the 
poor than before ; not only proportionably, but even 
actually less. How many have we known, who, when 
sick and apprehensive of dying, have vowed, if they 
recovered, what a different course they would run ; yet 
no sooner hath health returned, than their iniquities, 
like the wind, have carried them away. 

Here even good men have failed. Hezekiah said, 
" Lord, I am oppressed ; undertake for me ;" and 
he rebuked his disorder, and, "in love to his soul, 
delivered it from the pit of corruption." And for 
the time he felt well, and said, " For the gi'ave can- 
not praise thee; death cannot celebrate thee; they 
that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. 
The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do 
this day ; the father to the children shall make known 
thy truth. The Lord was ready to save me ; there- 



92 LECTURE VII. 

fore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments 
all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. 
Yet Hezekiah rendered not again according to the 
benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted up." 

" And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, if God will be 
with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and 
will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so 
that I come again to my father's house in peace, then 
shall the Lord be my God ; and this stone, which I 
have set for a pillar, shall be God's house ; and of all 
that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth 
unto thee." Yet how long did he linger, neglectful of 
his engagement ; and it was not till God reminded and 
summoned him, that he said, '' Let us arise, and go up 
to Bethel ; and I will make there an altar unto God, 
who answered me in the day of my distress, and was 
with me in the way which I went." 

But hear Hannah : — " Therefore I have lent him to 
the Lord ; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the 
Lord." It is added, " And he worshipped the Lord 
there." But of whom is this spoken ? Some say of 
Eli. Jf so, it refers not to his ordinary worship, but 
to the present particular instance of his adoration and 
praise on Hannah's behalf, and which would afford 
another proof of something good in his character, 
amidst all his mistakes and infirmities. 

But the worshipper seems to be Samuel himself. 
And why should this be thought strange or wonderful ? 
He was a peculiar and extraordinary infant, and might 
have given early indications of his, future ability and 
greatness. But without this supposition, have we not 
read that " out of the mouth of babes and sucklings God 
hath perfected praise" ? We have known children, who, 



HANNAH. 93 

as young as Samuel now was, have evinced true piety 
and devotion. And suppose the language he used was 
not of his own invention ? Would a form have been 
improper? Would not his pious mother have as 
early as possible taught him to pray ? 

All present would probably be struck with the little 
orator. But see the mother ! how she gazes ! how she 
wipes her eyes ! how she lifts her hands ! how ready 
she must have been to exclaim, '' this child is mine, 
even mine !" 

Nor could she, impressed as she was, restrain her 
feelings ; but she breaks forth in strains becoming the 
saint, as well as the mother. " And Hannah prayed, 
and said. My heart rejoiceth in the Lord ; mine horn 
is exalted in the Lord ; my mouth is enlarged over 
mine enemies ; because I rejoice in thy salvation. 
There is none holy as the Lord ; for there is none be- 
side thee ; neither is there an}^ rock like our God. Talk 
no more exceeding proudly ; let not arrogancy come 
out of your mouth ; for the Lord is a God of knowl- 
edge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows 
of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled 
are girded with strength. They that were full have 
hired out themselves for bread ; and they that were 
hungry ceased : so that the barren hath born seven ; 
and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. 
The Lord killeth, and maketh alive ; he bringeth down 
to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh 
poor, and maketh rich ; he bringeth low, and lifteth 
up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and 
lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them 
among princes, and to make them inherit the throne 
of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, 



94 LECTUEE VII. 

and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep 
the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent 
in darkness ; for by strength shall no man prevail. 
The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces ; 
out of heaven shall be thunder upon them ; the Lord 
shall judge the ends of the earth ; and he shall give 
strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his 
anointed." 

On these words we shall not have space to enlarge ; 
we drop only a few hints. We see Hannah had poet- 
ical talent, and which could be of no mean kind, since 
we find David, the chief Hebrew bard, not ashamed 
to borrow from her. " He raiseth up the poor out of 
the dust, and liffceth the needy out of the dunghill, that 
he may set him with princes, even with the princes of 
his people." 

It is here said she "prayed;" but we find no 
supplication or petition ; only praise and thanksgiv- 
ing ; but praise and thanksgiving are an essential 
part of prayer, and should always accompany it. 
Hence says Paul, " Be careful for nothing, but in 
everything by prayer and supplication, with thanks- 
giving, let your requests be make known to God. 
And the peace of God, which passeth all understand- 
ing, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ 
Jesus." 

When she prayed in the "bitterness of her soul," 
it was "in her heart; only her lips moved, but her 
voice was not heard ;" but now she had obtained the 
blessing, she cannot hold her peace. Such is the 
difference between sorrow and joy. Sorrow seeks 
retreat, and the anguish bearer " sitteth alone, and 
keepeth silence, and putteth his mouth in the dust." 



HANNAH. 95 

But joy is exciting and manifestative. '' Thou hast 
turned for me my mourning into dancing ; thou 
hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with glad- 
ness ; to the end that my glory may sing praise to 
thee, and not be silent. Lord, my God, I will 
give thanks unto thee forever." Has the shepherd 
found the sheep which he had lost? "He calleth 
together his friends and neighbors, saying, Eejoice 
with me." 

From her own particular case, she takes occasion 
to speak glorious things of God, of his being, his at- 
triJDutes, and works, and ways ; and to tell what he 
is doing in the world, and in the church. The events 
to which she refers are often not considered at 
all, or they are viewed as the effects of fortune or 
chance ; but she views them as the purposes and 
performances of him ''who worketh all things after 
the counsel of his own will ;" and it is the supreme 
of piety to see and acknowledge God in all things. 

It is commonly imagined that Hannah has even an 
allusion to the coming and character of the Messiah 
himself. She certainly is the first who pronounces 
that " name which is above every name " — " anointed 
of the Lord." It is no disproof of this Opposition, 
that she might not understand the fall and evangel- 
ical import of the term. The Prophets often deliv- 
ered things which they afterwards searched in order 
to understand. 

Finally, there is one sentence, promise, threaten- 
ing, admonition, which we should always retain, and 
often revolve — " He will keep the feet of his saints, 
and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by 
strength shall no man prevail." 



yb LECTURE VII. 

It is probable that, as moved by the Holy Ghost, 
she composed this ode for this occasion, during the 
few days she continued at Shiloh, and where care was 
taken to secure and publish the contents. 

However this may be, everything is now finished, 
and she must return to her own abode, and leave her 
beloved Samuel behind. How would she be re 
minded, at the different parts of the way back without 
him, of what he had artlessly asked in their journey 
up to the temple ! 

What a parting was here ! How affecting must it 
have been to leave such a child; to leave him, not 
for a month or a year, but for life. But she leaves 
him under the care, and in the service of Eli, who now 
feels a deep and paternal interest in him. " And the 
child did minister unto the Lord before Eli," per- 
forming such offices as his tender age and powers 
allowed. And we are also told of his dress ; " girded 
with a linen ephod;" a dress entirely sacerdotal, and 
indicative of his future destination. 

Thus she leaves him; but does she forget him? 
"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she 
should not have compassion on the son of her womb ?" 
Many mot]?ers would have been continually or fre- 
quently visiting him, especially as Ramah was not 
very distant from Shiloh ; but observe her self-denial, 
her firmness, her prudence. Her visit was only annual. 

But could she ever go without going as a mother ? 
" Moreover, his mother made him a little coat, and 
brought it to him from year to year, when she 
came up with her husband to offer the yearly sa- 
crifice." Had Hannah to furnish him with articles 
of apparel ? or was this vestment the produce of ma- 



HANNAH. 97 

ternal fondness ? In earlier times, we know, women 
of eminence did not deem a certain kind of manual 
employment beneath them. Alexander's sisters manu- 
factured his garments ; and Solomon, speaking of 
a virtuous princess, says, " She seeketh wool, and 
flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She 
layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold 
the distaff." 

But does God record in his word such actions 
as many would deem trifling, and pass by those 
which the world would regard as alone worthy 
of notice ? " His thoughts are not our thoughts, 
neither are his ways our waj^s." " The Lord seeth 
not as man seeth, for man looketh upon the outward 
appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart:" 

Thus she leaves him ; but is he less hers now than 
before ? Nothing is so much our own as that which 
we have dedicated to God. He holds, and sanctifies, 
and blesses it for us ; and such a sacrifice is not a 
gift but a loan. " Therefore I have lent him to the 
Lord ; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord." 

And was she a loser by the deed. Was she not 
even recompensed ? " And Eli blessed Elkanah and 
his wife, and said. The Lord give thee seed of this 
woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord.'» 
" And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived 
and bare three sons and two daughters." But, re- 
gardless of these additional olive plants around her 
table, what a reward had she even in Samuel himself. 
He was the darling of heaven and earth. " He grew 
in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God 
and man." He was established a prophet, and none 
of his words fell to the ground. He ruled and judged 

5 



98 LECTURE VII. 

Israel. He maintained a blameless reputation, and 
at the close of life, could thus challenge the whole 
nation. ' ' I have walked before jou from my childhood 
unto this day. Behold, here I am : witness against me 
before the Lord, and before his anointed; whose ox 
have I taken ? or whose ass have I taken ? or whom 
have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of 
whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine 
eyes therewith ? and I will restore it to you. And they 
said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, 
neither hast thou taken aught of any man's hand." 

But what has all this to do with Hannah ? Much 
every way. Did he early learn not to be idle ? Did 
he readily obey those who had the rule over him ? 
Did he cheerfully submit to restraints and privations ? 
Did he show no unwillingness to be left behind? 
Had he no fear to sleep alone? Could he hear an 
extraordinary voice in the night without terror ? Did 
the fear of God banish every other fear? All this 
proclaims her influence. All this she had early 
taught him. All this shows the excellency of her 
discipline, the wisdom of her teaching, and the influ- 
ence of her example. All this, under God, was owing 
to Hannah. All that ennobled him praises her ; and 
the history of the son is the eulogium of the mother. 

Let me conclude with a few words of address to 
mothers, to children, and to husbands. 

First^ Let me admonish you who are mothers, to 
make Hannah your example. I am not ^raid to inti- 
mate the great importance that belongs to your 
character : for however humbly it becomes you to think 
of yourselves personally^ you ought highly to value 
yourselves relatively. Your maternity itself is an 



HANNAH. 99 

amazing prerogative. What a thought that you have 
brought into existence a number of rational, respon- 
sible, and immortal beings. And you have not 
shaken them off at their birth. They demand, not 
only your immediate, but your persevering attention, 
your unremitting care. I hope I have convinced you 
that it is your duty to nurse your own children ; but 
your duty does not cease with their weaning. You 
are to superintend their growth, to watch over their 
health, to open their minds, and form their habits. 

But as they are God's subjects, as well as God's 
creatures ; and as they have souls within them, and 
an eternity before them, you are to be concerned not 
only for their physical and outward welfare, but their 
moral and spiritual. You are not only to ask what 
shall they eat, and what shall they drink, and how 
shall they be clothed ? but you are to dedicate them 
to God, and so regard them as sacred characters, and 
" train them up in the nurture and admonition of the 
Lord." And, as much depends upon you, so much 
may be accomplished by you. Who has such influ- 
ence, along with so much authority ? Who has the 
command of so many means and opportunities of ap- 
proaching and impressing the mind ? 

Though Mr. Newton sinned away his early advan- 
tages, you see what benefit he derived, when awakened, 
from the texts and hymns his mother had fixed in 
his mind, in his infancy and childhood. Mr. Cecil 
tells us, that, in the days of his vanity, though he 
withstood so many pious endeavors, he never could 
resist his mother's tears. And Mr. Wilson, now 
Bishop of Calcutta, in his narrative of intercourse 
with Bellingham*, the assassin, says he could make 



100 LECTURE VII. 

liim feel nothing, til] he mentioned his mother^ and 
then he broke into a flood of tears. 

Secondly^ Let me address you, my dear children, 
and call upon you to make Samuel your pattern, and 
encouragement. " When," says Cecil, " I was a child, 
and a very wicked one too, the character of young 
Samuel came home to me, when nothing else had 
any hold on my mind." And can you, my dear chil- 
dren, help admiring him ? You see what proofs he 
gave of early wisdom, and how entirely he obeyed and 
honored his beloved mother. And will you disobey 
yours? Will you dishonor and distress the mother 

who bore you, and who bred, 



Nursed on her knee, and at her bosom fed ? 

Oh ! if ever you are tempted to go astray, or do amiss, 
hear her voice crying, " What, my son ! and what, the 
son of my womb ! and what, the son of my vows !" 

And how was Samuel distinguished and honored ? 
How well did he exemplify the fulfilment of the 
promise, " I love them that love me, and those that 
seek me early shall find me." You may not, like 
him, be called to fill a sacred office, but you will be 
the servants of the most high God. If long life be 
not granted to you, as it was to him, should you die 
young, this will be gain, and early death will be 
early glory. And should you reach fourscore years 
and ten, your " hoary head will be a crown of glory ; 
being found in the way of righteousness," and Grod 
will say, ''I remember thee, the kindness of thy 
youth." 

It has been said that young saints often prove old 
demons. But nothing can be less true. Wns llTs 



HANNAH. 101 

the case with Joseph ? with Obadiah ? with David ? 
or with Timothy ? 

When we devote our youth to God 

'Tis pleasing in his eyes ; 
A flower, when oftored in the bud, 

Is no vain sacrifice. 

'Twill save us from a thousand snares 

To mind religion young ; 
Grace will preserve our following years, 

And make our virtues strong. 

Oh I may your language, therefore, be — 

To thee. Almighty God, to thee, 

Our childhood we resign ; 
'Twill please us to look back, and see 

That our whole lives were thine. 

Thirdly^ What shall I say to you who are husbands ? 
" Marriage is honorable in all," and " it is not good 
for man to be alone." But if you have a Hannah, 
be grateful, and faithful, and kind, and tender. I need 
not exhort you against adding a Peninnah to vex 
her withal. Blessed be God, we live in a land where 
marriage is confined to one pair, according to its orig- 
inal institution. But you may in other ways vex 
one whom, by every principle, you ought, and have 
sacredly promised, to cherish and comfort. " Yet is 
she thy companioD, and the wife of thy covenant." 
If every wish of thine heart is not accomplished in her, 
remember she feels the disappointment, and is more 
mortified on thy account than her own. And sliould 
not thy behavior assure her that thou art " better to her 
than ten sons?" Are her sprightliness, and powers, 
and attractions beginning to decline, whose better 



102 LECTUKE VII. 

days you have exulted in ? Let her feel the more, 
that she is not alone, but "coming up from the wil- 
derness, leaning upon her beloved." " Likewise, ye 
husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, 
giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, 
and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that 
your prayers be not hindered." 



LECTURE VIII. 

ANNA, THE PEOPHBTESS. 

Aud there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of 
the tribe of Aser ; she was of a great age, and had lived with an 
husband seven years from her virginity ; and she was a widow of 
about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the 
temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 
And she, coming in that instant, gave thanks likewise unto the 
Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in 
Jerusalem. — Luke, ii. 36-38. 

One of the names by wliicli the Messiah was to be 
called, was the "Wonderful ;" and the name was divinely 
appropriate. Nothing could be more marvellous than 
the constitution of his person, in which we see a 
union of divinity and humanity, of majesty and con- 
descension, of independence and subjection, of indi- 
gence and riches. The same will apply to his history. 
Observe his death. He suffers every kind of indignity ; 
he is bound, scourged, spit upon, buffeted, crucified 
beUveen two thieves. But the sun is enveloped in 
darkness, and the earth shakes, and the rocks are 
rent, and the graves are opened, and the dead arise, 
the centurion exclaims, " Truly this man was the 
Son of God ;" and the expiring thief adores him as 



104 » LECTUEE VIII. 

the Lord of all ; and prays, " Lord remember me when 
thou comest into thy kingdom." 

Observe also his hirtli. Nothing could be more 
expressive of the deepest humiliation ; and adapted 
to scandalize all those that worship "the god of this 
world." " And so it was, that, while they were there, 
the days were accompHshed that she should be de- 
livered. And she brought forth her first-born son, 
and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him 
in a manger, because there was no room for them 
in the inn." But the season of his birth is called 
"the fulness of time;" an angel addresses the shep- 
herds ; a multitude of the heavenly host descends, 
singing, " glory to God in the highest, and on 
earth peace, good- will towards men ;" a new star 
adorns the heavens ; and wise men come from the 
east; and fall down and vv^orship him; and he is 
"justified in the Spirit," and the Holy Ghost dignifies 
him by inspiring two distinguished individuals to 
bear witness of him. 

These were Simeon and Anna. Of the former it 
is said, " And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem 
whose name was Simeon ; and the same man was 
just and devout, Avaiting for the consolation of Israel ; 
and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was 
revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should 
not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 
And he came by the Spirit into the temple ; and 
when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do 
for him after the custom of the law, then took he 
him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said. Lord, 
now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according 
to thy word ; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 



ANKA, THE PROPHETESS. 105 

which thou hast prepared before the face of all people ; 
a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy 
people Israel." 

Nor was Simeon alone. 

" And there was also one Anna, a prophetess, the 
daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser ; she was 
of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven 
years from her virginity ; and she was a widow of 
about fourscore and four years, which departed not 
from the temple, but served God with fastings and 
prayers night and day. And she, coming in that 
instant, gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and 
spake of him to all them that looked for redemption 
in Jerusalem." 

This is all we know concerning her; but this is 
not a little. The first view it leads us to take of her 
is her Prerogative ; the second, her Condition in 
Life ; the third, her Devoutness ; the fourth, her Priv- 
ilege ; the fifth, her Gratitude ; the last, her Zeal. 

I. Her Prerogative. — She Avas " a Prophetess." 
Prophecy is the expression of foreknowledge. It is 
distinguishable from mere conjecture, however in- 
genious. Conjecture may be followed by a corre- 
spondence of events, but the event corresponds acci- 
dentally, and is not previoush^ certified thereby. It 
is also beyond the reach of reasoning from causes to 
effects, according to the ordinary operations of nature. 
It is nothing less than a miracle ; and God himself 
refers to it as supernatural and divine. " Wbo hath 
declared this from ancient time? Have not I the 
Lord ?" " Remember the former things of old ; for 
I am God, and there is none else ; I am God, and 

5* 



106 LECTURE VIII. 

there is none like me, declaring tlie end from tlie 
beginning, and from ancient times the things that are 
not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I 
will do all my pleasure." 

As Grod possesses the perfect knowledge of all 
futurities, so he is able to communicate any portion 
of it he pleases to any of his creatures; and he has 
often done this ; and our appeals to it constitute one of 
the most undeniable proofs of the truth of revelation. 

The spirit of prophecy was, with few exceptions, 
confined to the Jews. Among them, it manifested 
itself in all its fulness and glory. rFrom age to age 
they had a succession of prophets ; and they were 
not destitute even during the whole time of the 
Babylonish captivity. The prophetical spirit, indeed, 
ceased its communications from the days of Malachi ; 
but it was revived again about the period of the 
Saviour's incarnation ; as we see in his forerunner, 
" for all held John as a prophet ;" and in the case of 
Simeon, and of Anna of whom we are now speaking. 

For this supernatural endowment was not limited 
to males. Miriam, and Deborah, and Huldah, and 
other females were honored with this ministry; and 
the time was now come when the language of God, 
by Joel, was to be accomplished. "And it shall 
come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my 
Spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your daugh- 
ters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, 
your young men shall see visions ; and also upon the 
servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I 
pour out my spirit." 

Some may be ready to ask, if women were allowed 
to prophesy, why are they not permitted also to 



107 

preacla? To wliicli we answer, because we are not 
to argue from a miraculous age to an ordinary one ; 
because our Lord has given us no example of this in 
the choice of his apostles, nor in the mission of the 
seventy ; and because inspiration has interposed its 
authority, and said, " I suffer not a woman to teach " 
in the Church. 

Though Grod is under no obligation to explain 
himself, and his decision itself should always satisfy 
Tis, yet nothing would be more easy than to show the 
reasons on which such a prohibition is founded. 
The}' are not to be sought for in a supposition of 
incapacity for the discharge of such a function, but 
in the order of nature, and in the line of demarcation 
which defines and separates the destinies and duties 
of each sex. Eccentrics may excite notice, but will 
never be admired, at least by the wise and judicious. 
Persons always appear to most advantage in their 
own proj)er sphere ; and if females desire to be useful, 
they need not be disappointed ; if they are not called 
to fill a public office, there are a thousand ways open 
to their talents and benevolence, in which they may 
serve their generation and the cause of the Grospel. 
" Greet Mar}^," says the apostle to the Eomans, " who 
bestowed much labor on us;" and to the Philippians, 
" I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those 
women who labored with me in the gospel." 

II. Observe her condition in life. — This was 
affecting and interesting. She was old and bereaved ; 
of great age ; had been early deprived of her hus- 
band ; and was now a widow of about fourscore and 
four years. 



108 LECTUEE VIII. 

First She was of a great age ; and wliat was this ? 
About 84 ; and what was this to the duration of eter- 
nity? and what was this to the years before the 
flood ? yea, what was it to the longevity of Jacob ? 
who said, in answer to the question, " How old art 
thou ?" " The days of the years of niy pilgrimage 
are an hundred and thirty years ; few and evil have 
the days of the years of my life been, and have not 
attained unto the days of the years of the life of my 
fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." 

But so reduced was the human standard, that 
Moses estimated it much lower : " the days of our 
years are threescore years and ten ; and if, by reason 
of strength, they be fourscore years, yet is their 
strength labor and sorrow ; for it is soon cut ofP, and 
we fly away." Anna's age, therefore, is a kind of 
prodigy and wonder ; a period not often attained, 
but a period often earnestly desired. Yet what is life 
so prolonged, bu.t a series of decays, infirmities, trou- 
bles, and losses ; and '^ the years draw nigh in which 
we shall say, we have no pleasure in them." 

Accordingly, we remark secondly, that Anna had 
experienced af&ictioU' — affliction in the tenderest quar- 
ter, and early in life. She was now bereaved of the 
guide of her youth, after living only seven years in 
the happiness of conjugal life. Thus, she could no 
longer come up out of the wilderness leaning on her 
beloved, but was doomed to travel the rest of the long 
journey of life, alone ! 

The Jews, anciently, in their weddings, observed 
a very striking usage. They dashed a glass upon 
the floor, to show by its fraction the brittleness of 
the connection itself. And funeral solemnities have 



ANNA, THE PROPHETESS. 109 

often been soon found to follow marriage rites. It 
becomes you, therefore, to "rejoice with trembling," 
even in the day of jowr espousals, and the day of the 
gladness of your heart. Be thankful, ye whose rela- 
tive comforts are yet spared ; ye who, year after year, 
behold your dear connections still around you. But 
O, hold them with a loose hand. Remember that 
" all, all on earth is shadow ;" and will you set 
your heart on tliat which is not ? " This, I say, breth- 
ren, the time is short : it remaineth, that both they 
that have wives be as though they had none ; and 
they that weep, as though they wept not ; and they 
that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not ; and they 
that buy, as though they possessed not ; and they 
that use this world, as not abusing it : for the fashion 
of this world passeth away." 

Anna probably began life under every pleasing 
prospect, but her hopes were soon torn up by the 
roots : yet, ■ 

Thirdly^ We observe that she did not alter her 
condition again, but lived the remainder of her days 
in the state the Providence of God had been pleased 
to place her in ; and her very long widowhood is not 
mentioned to her disparagement. Unquestionably 
there is nothing sinful in a second marriage. The 
Apostle himself has determined this. "The wife is 
bound by the law as long as her husband liveth ; but 
if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be mar- 
ried to whom she will ; only in the Lord." 

Whatever differences there were among the first 
Christians, they all agreed equally to remember the 
poor; and, among these, widows were peculiarly re- 
garded ; and their condition required it. But as every 



110 LECTURE VIII. 

institution must have some laws and limits, hear the 
apostolical admonition and decision — " Honor widows 
that are widows indeed. Now she that is a widow 
indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth 
in supplications and prayers night and day. Let not 
a widow- be taken into the number under threescore 
years old, having been the wife of one man ; well re- 
ported of for good works ; if she have brought up chil- 
dren, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed 
the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if 
she have diligently followed every good work." 

No one spoke more in praise of marriage than 
Paul. He pronounced it " honorable in all ;" and 
branded, as among the "■ doctrines of devils," the 
"forbidding to marry;" yet he remained single him- 
self ; and there were seasons and circumstances which 
led him to say, " I would that all men were even 
as I myself." " I say, therefore, to the unmarried 
and widows, it is good for them if they abide even 
asL" 

But we must learn from the Scripture to distin- 
guish things that differ ; and the Apostle reminds us 
that what is lawful may not be expedient, and that 
what is justifiable may not be praiseworthy. Upon 
what principle, or for what reason, does he speak 
upon the subject before us ? "I would have you 
without carefulness." " The unmarried woman careth 
for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both 
in body and in spirit ; but she that is married careth 
for the things of the world, how she may please her 
husband." Well, then, says 'Anna, let me continue 
as I am. 



ANNA, THE PROPHETESS. Ill 

III. Her Devoutness. — " She departed not from 
the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers 
night and day." 

This may be viewed two ways, in addition to her 
prerogative as a prophetess. First^ You will observe, 
that the gift of prophecy was always distinguishable 
from the spii'it of holiness. It was sometimes pos- 
sessed by those who, though God's instruments, were 
not his subjects ; witness Balaam, and Caiphas, and 
the declaration of the Judge of all, " Many will say 
to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not proph- 
esied in thy name ? And then I will profess unto 
them, I never knew 3'ou : depart from me, ye that 
work iniquit3\" But Anna was sanctified as well as 
inspired. 

Secondly^ It may also be viewed in reference to her 
condition in life ; for though real religion does not 
depend upon outward circumstances ; a life of bereave- 
ment, privation, and trial, is much more friendly to 
its support and increase than a course of invariable 
prosperity. " Because they have no changes, there- 
fore they fear not Gt)d." 

But, it may be asked, how are we to understand 
the representation of her piety ? It cannot be sup- 
posed that her '' not departing from the temple," 
means her residence in it continually ; or that her 
"serving God with fastings and prayers night and 
day," is to be taken according to the letter ; for then 
she could have had neither sleep nor food ; but that 
her worship was regular and invariable, and that she 
took every opportunity of attending the solemnities of 
devotion. 



112 LECTURE VIII. 

It may also include not only the frequency of her 
actual engagements, bnt tlie state and frame of her 
mind. Her spirit there found itself at hom.e, according 
to the desire of David, " that I may dwell in the house 
of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty 
of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." 

The circumstances of individuals are very various. 
Few persons, comparatively, have leisure for such devo. 
tions as this good woman. Many fem ales in common life 
have ^numerous cares, and often find it difficult to get 
to the house of God twice on the Lord's day, or once 
in the week. They would always be gladly present 
when its open doors invite, but prudence forbids, 
even Christian duty forbids. Let such remember the 
Saviour's commendation of Mary, " she hath done what 
she could.'- Let them remember that "if there be 
first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a 
man hath, and not according to that he hath not ;" 
and that they may serve him without wiping their 
hands out of the wordly business in which they are en- 
gaged ; and that " whether they eat, or drink, or what- 
soever they do," they may " do all to the glory of God." 

But where leisure and means are afforded, let them 
be valued and improved ; and whatever our engage- 
ments may be, let the care of the soul be our chief 
concern, and let the whole of life be a scene of dedi- 
cation to God. If we do not literallj^ fast, let us 
exercise temperance, and "take heed, lest at any time 
our hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunken- 
ness, and cares of this life ; and so that day come upon 
us unawares." If we are not always upon our knees, 
let us live in the spirit of devotion ; and " in everything 



113 



by prayer and supplication witli thanksgiving, let our 
requests be made known unto God ; and tlie peace of 
God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep our 
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." 

lY. Her Privilege. — It was the sight of the 
Messiah. It Avas the same with good Simeon's, and 
was enjoyed cotemporaneously, " She came in at 
the same instant." What an assemblage was she 
now intermingled with. How pleasing must it have 
been to see Simeon, and Joseph, and Mary his mother, 
"blessed above women." But here was one far above 
all these ; it was " the consolation of Israel," it was 
"the desire of all nations," it was "the holy child 
Jesus." 

" Hope deferred maketh the heart sick ; but when 
the desire cometh it is a tree of life." And how richly 
is Anna gratified and recompensed for her long waiting 
and expectation. But " to him that hath, shall be given ; 
and he shall have more abundantly." " Then shall 
we know if we follow on to know the Lord : bis going 
forth is prepared as the morning ; and he shall come 
unto us as the rain, as the former and latter rain unto 
the earth. 

But where did she find him ? When she " came into 
the Templet Ah! had she not been there at this 
season, what a loss would she have sustained ! From 
whence, let us learn that if we would see Jesus, we 
should i-epair to his house, and obey like Anna the 
call of the Spirit. Thomas, being absent from the as- 
sembly at Jerusalem, when Jesus appeared and showed 
them his hands and his feet, missed the sight of the 



114 - LECTURE YIII. 

Saviour, and remained a whole week in tlie anxieties 
of doubts and fears. 

Y. Her Gratitude.' — " She likewise gave thanks 
unto the Lord." And surely there was enough to 
call forth her praise, not so much as to the external 
and even miraculous part of the scene, as to the magni- 
tude and importance of the event. " For ask now 
of the days that are past, which were before thee, since 
the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask 
from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether 
there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, 
or hath been heard like it ?" — For now " the counsel 
of peace" is laid open; now the prophecies are veri- 
fied ; now the promises are fulfilled ; and the hopes of 
believers from the beginning of time are realized. — 
And she knew that the blessing did not respect her- 
self and her connections only, but the whole human 
race ; that " in him all the families of the earth would 
be blessed;" that "God so loved the world, that he 
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth 
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 

And should not we feel equal reasons and excite- 
ments to gratitude and praise ? Though we have 
not seen him with our bodily eyes^ " we know that 
the Son of God is come ;" we know that he " is come 
to seek and to save that which was lost ; " we know 
that he is come not only that we "might have life" 
but " have it more abundantly ;" vfe know that " in 
him all fulness dwells :" — and shall we not exclaim, 
" Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift ;" and 
" Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings 



ANNA, THE PROPHETESS. 116 

in heavenly places in Christ" ? Shall we bless him 
"for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings 
of this life ;" and not much more for his " inestimable 
love in the redemption of the world by our Lord 
Jesus Christ; for the means of grace and for the 
hope of glory"? And shall we not "show forth 
his praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, 
by giving up ourselves to his service, and by walking 
before him in holiness and righteousness all our 
days" ? " Though," says Henry, " thanksgiving is 
good, thanks-living is better." Whoso offereth praise 
glorifieth me ; and to him that ordereth his conversa- 
tion aright will I show the salvation of God." 

YI. Her Zeal. — " She spake of him to all that 
looked for redemption in Jerusalem." And who were 
these? They consisted of two classes, (for all were 
expectants.) But, 1st, some were carnal expectants ; 
they looked for a temporal and worldly deliverer, who 
should save them from the Komans, and set them in 
the high places of the earth. In speaking of him to 
these, she would endeavor to rectify their mistake, 
and proclaim him the King of glory, owning a king- 
dom not of this world. 

2dly, Others, though few, were spiritual expect- 
ants, who longed to be saved from their sins, being 
" delivered from the bondage of corruption," and 
brought "into the glorious liberty of the children of 
God." These she would congratulate and encourage ; 
" Lo, this is our God ; we have waited for him, and 
he will save us: this is the Lord; Ave have waited 
for him ; we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." 



116 LECTUEE VIII. 

To all these she spake of him at present, and 
also, doubtless, whenever she had an opportunity, after- 
wards, and by all the means of communication in 
her power. In this her character gains, rather than 
loses, by a comparison with her illustrious fellow- 
witness. Simeon seems, by his vision, to have had 
his fill of life, and only longs for his departure ; but 
Anna thinks nothing of dying, but is only concerned 
to improve her few remaining days, making known 
that which she had seen and heard, that others might 
have fellowship with her. 

And herein she becomes your example. You who 
have found a Eedeemer yourselves, should make him 
known, and recommend him to others. You should 
not only seize, but seek afler opportunities; and 
surely 3' ou can easily find them ; for where are your 
children, your relations, your friends, and jour neigh- 
bors ? 

Then I will tell to sinners round, 
What a deiir Saviour I have found ; 
I'll point to his atoning blood, 
And say, behold the way to God. 

And if this be your determination, remember three 
things. 1st. That a certain consistency of character 
and conduct will be expected from you. If you 
neglect this, it will be better for you to hold jour 
peace ; for inconsistency is worse than omission. 
Though the people of the world are strangers to j^our 
experience, thc}^ are, commonly, tolerable judges of 
your deportment. They know what kind of conduct 
becomes the profession you make, and will not fail 
to ask, "What do ye more than others?" Many 



117 

things which they tolerate in others, they will be sure 
to censure and condemn in you. The whole com- 
plexion of a negro is less noticed than a single stain 
in the features of a white countenance. 

But if while you speak of the things of the Saviour, 
you hold forth the word of life by your temper and 
behavior, and exemplify what you recommend; 
remember, 2dly^ The Lord may bless your simple tes- 
timony and make you the means of bringing some 
soul to the Lord Jesus ; as Andrew did Peter ; and 
Philip, Nathanael; and the woman of Samaria, her 
neighbors. And, 

Mly^ Remember that " he who winneth souls is 
wise ;" that " verily there is joy in the presence of 
the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth ;" 
and that no benefactor will bear a moment's com- 
parison with him who is the blessed instrument to 
achieve it. The success is infinite, and ought to be 
its own reward. " Brethren, if any of you do err 
from the truth, and one convert him, let him know 
that he who converteth the sinner from the error of 
his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide 
a multitude of sins." 

The subject appeals to all, but especially to those who 
are advanced in years. Simeon is commonly supposed to 
be aged, but we know that Anna was, and her head was 
not only hoary, bat "found in the way of righteous- 
ness." " Days should speak, and multitude of years 
should teach wisdom." Surely you, whose lips are 
soon to be silent in the grave, ought to be thankful, 
and to speak well of his name, who has redeemed your 
lives from all adversity, and is so soon to " receive 



118 LECTUEE VIII. 

you to himself, that where he is, there you shall be 
also." " And this I pray, that your love may abound 
yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment ; 
that ye may approve things that are excellent ; that 
ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of 
Christ ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, 
which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise 
of God." 



LECTURE IX. 

THE WOMAN OF CANAAN. 



Then Jesua went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and 
Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same 
coasts, and cried unto him, saying. Have mercy on me, O Lord, 
thou son of David ; my daughter is grievously vexed with a 
devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came 
and besought him, saying, Send her away ; for she crieth after 
us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost 
sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped 
him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered, and said. It is not 
meet to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs. And 
she said. Truth, Lord ; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which 
fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto 
her, woman, great is thy faith : be it unto thee even as thou wilt. 
And her daughter Avas made whole from that very hour. 

Matthew, xv. 21-28. 

Let US consider this petitioner five ways : — 

I. As AN UNLIKELY SUPPLIANT. 
n. As AN AFFLICTED SUPPLIANT. 

III. As AN UNFOKTUNATE SUPPLIANT. 

IV. As A SUCCESSFUL SUPPLIANT. 
V. As AN INSTRUCTIVE SUPPLIANT. 

" Consider what I say, and the Lord give you un- 
derstanding in all things." — Amen. 

I. View her as an unlikely suppliant. 

For who was this woman? She was not a Jew, 



120 LECTURE IX. 

but a Gentile ; an " alien from the common wealth of 
Israel, a stranger from the covenant of promise, hav- 
ing jQo hope, and without God in the world." She 
was descended from one of the wretched nations whom 
God had doomed to destruction, and whose rem- 
nants were to be as thorns and goads in the sides of 
the people who had criminally suffered them to escape. 
They were now serving idols, and were in darkness 
and the region of the shadow of death. 

But, to the disgrace of the Jews, who, when the 
Messiah "came to his own, his own received him 
not ;" v/hen they despised and rejected him, this poor 
Canaanite is found at his feet, adoring him and sup- 
plicating mercy and help. 

On a similar occasion, when a Eoman centurion 
addressed him on behalf of his servant, dispensing 
with his bodily presence as not necessary to the cure, 
and trusting simply in the ef&cacy of his w^ord, Jesus 
" said to them that followed, Yerily I say unto you, 
I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." 

Thus, " many that are first shall be last, and the 
last first." While the hoary head, though often re- 
proved, has gone on still in his trespasses ; children in 
the temple have cried, " Hosanna to the Son of David, 
blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord ;" 
and " out of the mouth of babes and sucklings he 
perfecteth jDraise." While some, whose amiable and 
moral character seemed to bring them near the king- 
dom of Heaven, have failed of the grace of God, 
publicans and harlots have obtained mercy. While 
those who have had distinguished religious privileges, 
have neglected the great salvation, persons destitute 
of the means of grace have felt after the Lord and 



THE WOMAN OF CANAAN. 121 

found Him. The offspring of godly parents have 
sinned away all the advantages of a pious education ; 
but the sons of the stranger have joined themselves to 
the Lord, and had " a name and a place in his house 
better than that of sons and of daughters." " In that 
hour, Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, 
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast 
hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast 
revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father ; for so 
it seemed good m thy sight." " Ye see your calling, 
brethren," says Paul, " how that not many wise men 
after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are 
called ; but God hath chosen the foolish things of the 
world to confound the wise ; and God hath chosen 
the weak things of the world to confound the things 
which are mighty ; and base things of the world, and 
things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and 
things which are not, to bring to nought things that 
are : that no flesh should glory in his presence." 

XL She was an afflicted suppliant. 

" Af&ictions," says an old writer, " are like files ; 
they serve to give an edge to our devotions : or they 
resemble the counsellors of Benhadad, they send us, 
with 'ropes upon our necks,' to the merciful King of 
Israel." 

In prosperity, God invites us to himself by a pro- 
fusion of favors ; in adversity, he leaves us no 
choice. Then, we have no other arm to lean upon, 
no other helper to implore. Then, turning away from 
creatures, we look up and say, '' Now, Lord, what 
wait I for ? my hope is in thee." 

6 



122 LECTUEE IX. 

"What brought back the prodigal to Ms father's 
house? — famine. What led Manasseh to seek the 
Lord God of his father ? — degradation, imprisonment, 
and fetters. What said David himself? — " It is good 
for me that I have been afflicted ; that I might learn 
thy statutes. Before I was afflicted I went astray : 
but now have I kept thy word." What was it that 
brought this woman to Christ ? — But for her affliction 
she would have remained at home, and made no in- 
quiries after him. This was the case with her neigh- 
bors. It is the case with thousands now. " Because 
they have no changes, therefore they fear not Grod." 

But what was her affliction ? — It was not personal, 
but relative ; yet who need be told that relative 
sufferings often even exceed personal ? As the con- 
nections of life yield many springs of pleasure, so they 
also open many sources of pain. Thej are our pos- 
sessions, that render us susceptible of losses ; and 
according to our affections are our keenest anxieties, 
and fears, and sorrows. O how strong is parental 
affection ! How much more so is maternal I To a 
mother, a child is endeared by feelings peculiar to 
herself; by a law of nature and providence, she and 
her offspring are one. 

What was her daughter's condition ? However the 
doctrine of what is called ^^ possession ^^ be explained, 
the expression here employed, "grievously vexed with 
a devil," can signify nothing less than a state of dread- 
ful calamity and fearful jeopardy. Who, therefore, 
can imagine this poor mother's affliction, to see her 
own beloved daughter in a state of suffering worse 
than death ? What wonder she hastens to the Saviour, 
and pleads for her daughter's deliverance as a mercy 



THE WOMAN OF CANAAN. 123 

to herself. " Have merc}^ on ine, Lord, thou Son 
of David ; my daughter is grievously vexed with a 
devil." 

in. She was an impoetunate suppliant. 

To judge of this, it is only necessary to observe 
the various difficulties and repulses she had to en- 
counter in her application. 

The first of these arose from our Lord's silence. 
" He answered. her not a word." How little did this 
accord with the reports she had heard of him, and 
Avhat a shock must it have been to the hope she had 
founded on them ! It seemed to imply nothing less 
than perfect unconcern and indifference. 

The second arose from the language of the disciples. 
" His disciples came and besought him, saying. Send 
her away, for she crieth after us." We can hardly 
suppose the disciples were so unkind as to wish her 
to be dismissed without relief But it is obvious they 
were too little alive to the case of the agonized pleader, 
and too much concerned for their own ease ; or they 
were carried away by a mistaken regard for the Sav- 
iour's freedom from annoyance. " How long, O Lord, 
shall we be assailed, and thou interrupted and troubled, 
by this loud and ceaseless clamor?" It is well, in 
some of our concerns, that we have not to deal with 
men, even with good men. How liable are they to 
mistake. How impatient are they, often, in their 
feelings. How severely do they treat our infirmities. 
How little can they teach, in our doubts and fears, as 
we are able to bear it. How rarely does kindness 
adorn their carriage, or tenderness grace their charity. 



124 LECTUKE IX. 

" Let me fall into the hand of the Lord^ for his mercies 
are great ; and let me not fall into the hand of man," 
for " the best of men are but men at the best." 

In answering the disciples, the woman must have 
heard him ; and this was the third discouragement. 
" He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the 
lost sheep of the house of Israel." This repulse seemed 
the entire exclusion of her suit. The case was this. 
Though the Messiah was to be a light to lighten 
the Grentiles, as well as the glorj of his people Israel, 
his time was not jet come. The gospel, as a dispen- 
sation, did not properly commence till the Saviour's 
death. Then the vail of the temple was rent in twain 
from the top to the bottom ; then the middle wall of 
partition betwixt Jews and Gentiles was thrown 
down, and both were made one ; then the commission 
ran, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel 
to every creature." But before this, when he sent 
forth the twelve apostles, and the seventy disciples, 
he had said, " Go not in the way of the Gentiles, and 
into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not." As 
to his personal labors, he was the minister of the 
circumcision, and the Jews only were the immediate 
objects of his mission; and as this Canaanite was 
not one of them, he seems to intimate that she was 
not within the bounds of his office. 

"We are afraid the disciples were rather pleased with 
this answer, as it fell in with their Jewish prejudices. 
They, therefore, said nothing more ; and probably 
thought she would not. She, however, was too much 
interested, and too much in earnest, to cease crying. 
" Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, 
help me." 



THE WOMAN OF CANAAN. 125 

This drew forth the last and greatest discourage- 
ment. " He answered and said, It is not meet to 
take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs." 
Here was not only refusal, but reflection; not only 
exclusion, but insult. Dog was a common, name of 
odium and reproach. It was the term by which the 
Jews, to whom pertained the adoption, and who con- 
sidered themselves as the children of the covenant, 
designated the poor Gentiles, as outcasts, contemptible, 
and unclean. Nothing could so well express the 
vileness of a sacrifice as " cutting off a dog's neck ;" 
and Hazael could think of no epithet to express his 
abhorrence of his foretold atrocity so forcible as this, 
" What ! is thy servant a dog, that he should do this 
thing ?" 

But was this the language of the Son of God? 
Are these some of the gracious words which were said 
to proceed out of his mouth ? How many, upon 
hearing this, would have returned in bitter sadness, 
and have broken forth in such exclamations as these ; 
— " that I had stayed at home, and never exposed 
myself to such merciless treatment ! Was I not 
af&icted enough before, in the pitiable condition of my 
poor child? I am a woman, a mother, a widowed 
mother ; and if there be nothing worthy in the sufferer, 
there is always something sacred in grief. If I am 
not one of the favored nation, I am one of the human 
race. If I cannot excite pity, it is hard to be treated 
with scorn and contempt." 

But nothing of all this is sufficient to turn her 
away. Yea, she even takes advantage from her trial. 
She turns objection into argument, and derives hope 
from discouragement itself. How ingenious is her 



126 LECTUEE IX. 

reply — " Thou callest me a dog. I deserve to bear the 
name, and only plead for a dog's treatment. I aspire 
not to sit at thy table, but forbid me not to creep 
under it. If the children are sated and wasteful, let 
me gather up what they neither want nor desire, and 
which will soon be swept away. I shall rob no one ; 
and what I beg is no more to thy bounty than a 
crumb to a royal feast. But 0, what will it he to 
me f Speak but the word, and my daughter shall be 
healed." 

lY. She was a successful suppliant. 

The Saviour can withstand and withhold no longer. 
He complies with her application ; yea, and does 
more. " Then Jesus answered and said unto her, 
woman, great is thy faith : be it unto thee even as 
thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from 
that very hour." 

And what was this faith of hers ? She could hardly 
have believed in his divinity. This, at present, was 
only revealed obscurely, and derived much from in- 
ference ; but she believed in his Messiahship ; she 
believed that he was the Son of David ; she believed 
the truth of his miracles of which she had heard ; she 
believed in his ability to heal her daughter ; and she 
also believed that he was inclined to answer her, not- 
withstanding his apparent inattention and severity. 
Some who came to him in the days of his flesh 
questioned his power, and others his willingness to 
succor them ; but this woman, without anything 
particularly to rely upon, and under the most trying 
discouragements, hoped and trusted in both. 



THE WOMAN OF CANAAN. 127 

And this shows us wherein the greatness of faith 
so much consists. It is in a readiness to beheve ; it is 
to rel}' on God's promises, when his doings seem rather 
to oppose than to confirm them ; it is to receive the 
kingdom of God as a little child receives the declara- 
tions of his father ; it is, however pressed by difficul- 
ties, never to ask " How can these things be ?" 

We see this illustrated in Abraham, the father of 
the faithful, and the grand example of faith. "By 
faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a 
place which he should after receive for an inheritance, 
obeyed: and he went out, not knowing whither he 
went." " Who against hope believed in hope, that 
he might become the father of many nations, according 
to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be." 
" He staggered not at the promise of God through 
unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to 
God ; being fully persuaded that, what he had prom- 
ised, he was able also to perform." 

All faith is precious, precious even when it is only 
as a grain of mustard seed ; but great faith is to be 
highly estimated, and sought after. You will con- 
tinually need it, especially in' every dark day, and 
under every frowning dispensation. It "is the sub- 
stance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not 
seen." It can read God's short-hand. It can see a 
smiling face, behind a frowning providence. It can 
understand all mysteries. It can remove mountains. 
" All things are possible to him that belie veth." 

Faith, mighty faith the promise sees, 

Relies ou that alone ; 
Laughs at impossibilities, 

And savs, It shall be done. 



128 LECTUEE IX. 

No wonder, therefore, the Saviour admires and 
extols the faith of this woman for its greatness, and 
ascribes everything to its influence. Other qualities 
were discernible in her, but they all grew out of her 
faith ; faith was the root, all besides was only and 
wholly produce. This was the principle of her hu- 
mility, of her diligence, of her zeal, of her persever- 
ance. Nothing else could have made her steadfast 
and immovable, and determined not to let him go 
unless he blessed her. 

And as the greatness of her faith appeared before 
the Saviour had pronounced in her favor, so it 
showed itself after her receiving the promise. She 
does not desire him to go with her to her home, as 
the nobleman did ; she does not deem his presence 
necessary to his agency ; his word was enough, and 
she asks for nothing to confirm it. She goes home, 
therefore, full of expectation. And was she disap- 
pointed ? She found her dearest wish accomplished ; 
and her house was filled with the voice of rejoicing 
and salvation. what endearings and embracings 
were there ! what adorations of her deliverer and 
benefactor ! what inquiries, what they should ren- 
der, and how show forth his praise ?^For " her daugh- 
ter was made whole from that very hour." 

V. She was an instructive suppijant. 

There are two lessons, in particular, which she 
teaches us. 

1st, That in our applications to Christ we may be 
sorely exercised. And, perhaps, I am addressing 
some, v/hose experience, in no small degree, re- 



THE WOMAN OF CANAAN. 129 

sembles the case we have reviewed. Did the 
Saviour answer her not a word? And you are 
saying, " I had heard much of his name, and I felt 
my need of him. At length, I went and fell at his 
feet ; and there I am now. I wait for him more than 
they that watch for the morning, but I see no break 
of day. I pray, but I am not heard. I cry. Lord, 
' Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. Show me a 
token for good ;' and one word of his would scatter 
all my fears. But he shutteth out my prayers." 

Did the disciples beseech him, sayiug, " send her 
away, for she crieth after us"? And, perhaps, you 
are discouraged by those who ought to comfort you. 
They seem wanting in sympathy and tenderness. 
They are prepossessed against you, as selfish in your 
motives, or insincere in your pretensions. They 
puzzle you with hard doctrines. They question 
you in a way that cuts you to the heart ; and they 
make you suspect that the root of the matter is not 
in you, by boasting in your presence their own as- 
surances and raptures. 

Did he say, " I am not sent but to the lost sheep 
of the house of Israel" ? And, perhaps, you are say- 
ing, " I see him receiving and welcoming others to 
the blessings of his great salvation, but I find I have 
no title to any of his favors. I have neither part nor 
lot in the matter.'' 

Did he say, "It is not meet to take the children's 
bread, and to cast it to dogs"? And, perhaps, you 
are saying, " He seems not only to deny my claim, 
but to aggravate my distress." He pronounces upon 
me the threatenings of the law, rouses the accu- 
sations of conscience, and increases the sense of my 

6* 



180 LECTURE IX. 

guilt and vileness. I fear tliat my case is hopeless, 
and that I shall have my portion at the last, with 
hypocrites and unbelievers, '' for without are dogs." 

And, as in the case before us, you may also have 
external afflictions, as well as inward griefs; and 
" fightings without " may accompany " fears within ;" 
and you may write " all these things are against me," 
and say, " my wound is incurable." Such an expe- 
rience is greatly trying, yet it should not discourage 
you. It is not singular. Many have trodden the 
same path, and have known the same heart's bitter- 
ness. It is, therefore, a token for good; and should 
be viewed as a waymark, instead of a stumbling- 
stone. 

And see the men of the world, who wish to rise 
to power, wealth, or honor. Do they meet with no 
difficulties and obstacles in their course ? Do they not 
rise early and sit up late, and often eat the bread of 
sorrow? What crosses do they take up? To what 
toils do they submit ? What repulses, what mortifi- 
cations, do they endure ? And for what ? They run 
for a corruptible crown, but you for an incorruptible. 
They also are never sure of success, but often labor 
in vain, and are ashamed of their hope ; but you run 
not uncertainly ; you fight not as one that beateth 
the air; you may sow in tears, but you are sure to 
reap in joy. "He that goeth forth and weepeth, 
bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again 
with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." 

2dly^ She teaches us that sincere and earnest 
prayer, however tried, shall at last succeed. These 
rebukes and delays are not refusals. The Lord waits 
that he may be gracious, and " blessed are all they 



THE WOMAN OF CANAAN. 131 

that wait upon him." There is an order in the oper- 
ations of Providence and Grace, and everything is 
beautiful in his time. The Lord has reasons for all 
his dealings with his people. He regards the honor 
of his own name, which never appears so glorious as 
amidst creature despondencies. He regards also their 
own welfare. He hereby exercises their faith and 
patience ; quickens their holy longings ; endears the 
blessing ; and makes it, when it comes, a tree of life. 
Do not, therefore, in the meanwhile say, there is no 
hope. If he has drawn you to his feet, he will not 
suffer you to perish there, or drive you away unsup- 
plied. Poor trembling soul, thy prayer is heard, 
though not yet answered ! But it will be answered, 
it must be answered in due time; for he "never said 
to the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain." Read the 
gospel, and see if he ever refused a suppliant that cried 
to him for merc}^ and help. The case of this woman 
looks, at first, the most disconsolate of any ; yet we 
soon "see the end of the Lord," and find that he " is 
very pitiful, and of tender mercy." Yiew the picture 
again and again ; and, if you can see a resemblance of 
yourself, "wait on the Lord; be of good courage, 
and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on 
the Lord." 

Let me conclude, therefore, by admonishing you 
to follow this interesting example. For why is it re- 
corded, and recorded with such minuteness? Is it 
only to amuse the mind, or gratify curiosity, or draw 
forth admiration ? No ! but to excite and encourage 
you to judge properly of the Saviour, and induce you 
also to look to him in every time of need. 



132 LECTUEE IX. 

In sucli a case as this, lie comes forth and shows 
himself as the gracious and almighty friend and helper 
of man ; and if the display does not lead you to apply 
to him, it fails of its design ; for " these are written, 
that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the 
Son of Grod; and that, believing, ye might have life 
through his name." " For whatsoever things were 
written aforetime were written for our learning, that 
we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, 
might have hope." 

Did this poor woman so readily apply to him ? and 
will you constrain him to say, '' Ye will not come unto 
me that ye might have life" ? Say not, " ! were he 
on earth, I would instantly repair to him ; but he 
is no more in the world, that I might commit my 
case to him." For though he is no more in the world 
visibly and corporeally, he is here really and spiritu- 
ally ; and if you seek him, he will be found of you, 
and say, " Here I am." 

Some say, " But I know not how to pray." What 
is prayer but the desire of the soul to the Lord, how- 
ever expressed ? What was the prayer of this peti- 
titioner ? Son of David, have m_ercy upon me ! Lord, 
help me ! Eefuse me not a crumb of thy children's 
bread. Yet this prevailed ; and he said, " Be it unto 
thee even as thou wilt." 

Again you say, " But will he accept me now ? 
I have no other resource, and I go to him, driven by 
necessity rather than choice." Has he not said, " Him 
that Cometh unto me, I will in nowise cast out;" 
and " Whoso asketh receiveth, and whoso seeketh 
findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be 
opened" ? 



THE WOMAN OF CANAAN. 133 

Go, therefore, to him, and 3'ou will find him both 
able and willing " to save to the uttermost." There 
is in him everything 3^011 need ; righteousness to 
justify, grace to sanctify, strength to support, consola- 
tion to comfort. In him all fulness dwells, and from 
his fulness you may " all receive, and grace for grace." 
ISeek him then in all your exigencies, and look no- 
where else for succor. He who opened the eyes of 
the blind can open the eyes of your understanding. 
He who calmed the raging deep can tranquillize a 
troubled conscience ; for he is " the same yesterday, 
to-day, and forever." Are you in affliction ? Go to 
him who says, " Call upon me in the day of trouble, 
and I will deliver thee." Are you in temporal straits ? 
Call upon him who says, '' They that seek the Lord 
shall not want any good thing." Are you bereaved ? 
Think of him who says, "Leave thy fatherless children, 
I will preserve them alive, and let thy widows trust 
in me." Have 3'ou reached the evil days in ^vhich 
you sa}' you have no pleasure in them ? Look to 
him who says, " Even to your old age I am he ; 
and even to hoar hairs will I carry j- ou : I have 
made and I will bear ; even I will carry, and will 
deliver you." Have you connections? Apply to 
him for them as well as for yourselves. The Throne 
of grace is a delightful resource of benevolence, and a 
mighty one too. You are unable to relieve a beloved 
friend or relative ; but you have a helper on high ; 
and prayer has power with God, and can prevail. 
Are you parents ? Sin is worse than any bodily dis- 
ease. Have you a child living in wickedness ? Do 
not consider him as abandoned ; continue in the use 
of means, in dependence upon his Holy Spirit. Go 



184 LECTUEE IX. 

to him who knows no difficulties, and with whom all 
things are possible. " Bring him unto me." 

What shall we say to those who care for none of 
these things ; who never pray for others or them- 
selves ? This will not be always the case ; nor 
will it be the case long. A time is hastening on, 
when you will call, but he will not answer ; you 
may seek him early, but shall not find him. " Seek 
ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him 
while he is near." 

Sinner, hear the Saviour's call, 

He now is passing by ; 
He has seen thy grievous fall, 

And heard thy mournful cry. 
He has pardons to impart, 

Grace to save thee from thy fears ; 
See the love that fills his heart. 

And wipe away thy tears. 

Why art thou afraid to come, 

And tell him all thy case ? 
He will not pronounce thy doom, 

Nor frown thee from his face. 
Wilt thou fear Emmanuel ; 

Wilt thou fear the Lamb of God ; 
Who, to save thy soul from hell, 

Has shed his precious blood ? 

Though his majesty be great, 

His mercy is no less ; 
Though he thy transgressions hate, 

He feels for thy distress. 
By himself the Lord hath sworn, 

He delights not in thy pain ; 
But invites thee to return, 

And grace and glory gain. 



THE WOMAN OF CANAAN. 135 

Raise thy downcast eyes and see 

What throngs his throne surround ! 
These, though sinners once like thee, 

Have full salvation found. 
Yield not then to unbelief. 

While he says "There yet is room;" 
Though of sinners thou art chief, 

Since Jesus calls thee, — Come. 



LECTURE X. 



THE WOMAN WHO ANOINTED 
THE SAYIOUE'S HEAD. 

Yerily I say unto you, Wheresoevf^r tliis Gospel sball be preaehod 
througliont the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be 
spoken of for a memorial of her. — Mark, xiy. 9. 

The narrative whicli is to engage our present at- 
tention, proves, in some respects, a remarkable con- 
trast with the relation which passed under our review 
in the preceding Lecture. There we saw a Avoman 
of Canaan, a heathen, and probably a widow, afflicted 
with a daughter "grievously vexed with a devil;" who, 
hearing of the fame of Jesus, came and cried to him 
for help ; but meeting with treatment more than 
enough to have driven back any ordinary applicant, 
yet with persevering importunity pressed through 
every discouragement, and obtained at last the peti- 
tion she asked of him. 

But the woman who now appears before us is not 
driven to the Saviour by distress : she comes not as 
a beggar but as a follower, not as a suppliant but 



THE WOMAN WHO ANOINTED THE SAVIOUR. 137 

as a friend. She knows him, and feels herself already 
deeply indebted to him ; and is come, not to discharge 
her obligation, (this she knew to be impossible,) but 
to express the gratitude she owed Jiim, and the love 
she bore him. 

" And being in Bethany, in the house of Simon 
the leper, as he sat at meat,- there came a woman 
having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard 
very precious ; and she brake the box, and poured it 
on his head. And there were some that had indig- 
nation within themselves, and said, Why was this 
waste of the ointment made ? For it might have 
been sold for more than three hundred pence, and 
have been given to the poor. And they murmured 
against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone ; why 
trouble ye her? she hath wTought a good work on 
me. For ye have the poor with you always, and 
whensoever ye will ye may do them good : but me 
ye have not always. She hath done what she could : 
she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the bury- 
ing. Yerily I say unto you, AVheresoever this Gospel 
shall be preached throughout the whole world, this 
also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a 
memorial of her." 

Observe, The Place : The Action : The Censure : 
The Vindication : and The Memorial. 

I. Observe The Place. 

The scene named is Bethany. Bethany was a 
small village in the neighborhood of Jerusalem ; a 



138 LECTUEE X. 

place wliich, we presume, we seldom hear of without 
thinking of a family dear to the Saviour ; for " Jesus 
loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus ;" and re- 
calling a very interesting and instructive event. 
" Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered 
into a certain village ; and a certain woman named 
Martha received him into her house. And she had 
a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet, and 
heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about 
much serving, and came to him, and said. Lord, dost 
thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve 
alone ? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus 
answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art 
careful and troubled about many things : but one 
thing is needful : and Mary hath chosen that good 
part, which shall not be taken away from her." 

Eeligion is a benevolent, social, and diffusive 
thing. When Christians are endeavoring to do 
good unto all men, they are often reproached as in- 
truders, and desired to keep their religion to them- 
selves. But this is enjoining upon them an impos- 
sibility ; and " if these should hold their peace, the 
stones would immediately cry out." They " cannot 
but speak the things which they have seen and heard." 
This blessed family, therefore, being acquainted with 
the Saviour themselves, and frequently favored with 
his visits, it would appear, introduced him to their 
neighbors ; for we here find him in another house in 
the same village ; " the house of Simon the leper." 
This does not mean that he was a leper now, for then 
he would have been under legal restraint, and none 
could have had intercourse with him ; but the mean- 



THE WOMAN WHO ANOINTED THE SAVIOUR. 139 

ing is that lie had been a leper, and well known as 
such ; and it is more than probable that our Saviour 
had healed him of this dreadful and incurable disorder ; 
and, therefore, as a token of his regard and gratitude, 
he was desirous of entertaining his deliverer and 
benefactor, and had invited others to meet him, hoping 
that they would derive benefit from his presence, as 
he himself had done. 

Our Lord complied with the invitation, and gave 
the company the cheerful though not the intemperate 
meeting. For though nothing could be viler or more 
false than the insinuation of his enemies, that he was 
a glutton and a wine-biber, yet he partook of the good 
things of Providence, in a way which distinguished 
him from his forerunner, who was reserved, and aus- 
tere, and " came neither eating nor drinking, and 
they said. He hath a devil." 

He would also show by- his example that he did not 
wish his disciples to be mopish and superstitious, en- 
during corporeal inflictions, and refusing the common 
supplies and recreations of life. " Touch not ; taste 
not ; handle not. Which things have indeed a show 
of wisdom in will, worship, and humility, and neglect- 
ing of the body ; not in any honor to the satisfying 
of the flesh." 

II. Observe the action. 

" There came a woman having an alabaster box of 
ointment of spikenard very precious ; and she brake 
the box, and poured it on his head." 

The usages of mankind differ exceedingly, accord- 



140 LECTURE X. 

ing to climate, and the degrees of knowledge and 
civilization. Thus in a hot country, and where per- 
sons wore sandals, the washing of the feet, especially 
when coming in from a journey, was deemed a great 
refreshment, and was used as a common gratification. 
In Judea, unction was a delicious indulgence, and w^as 
often used as a token of honor, as well as a luxury. 
" Ointment and perfume," says Solomon, " rejoice 
the heart." David, to signify the munificence of the 
divine goodness towards him, says, '^Thou anointest 
my head with oil :" and he compares the excellency 
of brotherly love to " the precious ointment upon the 
head of Aaron, that ran down to the skirts of his 
garments :" and his son Solomon, to excite constant 
cheerfulness and dignity, says, " Let thy head lack no 
ointment." 

We do not feel the force of these allusions as the 
Easterns did ; yet who has not been charmed wdth the 
fragrance of a rose, or a lily ? Who, after rain, has 
not been regaled with the smell of a field which the 
Lord hath blessed ? Who has read only of " incense- 
breathing morn" ? 

How obviousl}' does the beneficence of God appear 
in "giving us all things richly to enjoy;" in pro- 
viding not for our sustenance onl}^, but for our indul- 
gence ; and in adapting the various productions of 
nature to the delight, not less than the use, of all our 
senses. What softness and smoothness for the touch ! 
what colors for the eye ! what melodies for the ear ! 
what relishes for the taste ! w^hat odors for the smell ! 
And all this he has provided for guilty creatures, who 
have renounced his service, and declared themselves 



THE WOMAN WPIO ANOINTED THE SAVIOUK. 141 

his enemies by wicked works ; and all this he con- 
tinues to afford to these very beiDgs, though thej are 
daily and hourly offending him ! And if it be thus 
Avith a world lying in wickedness, what will it be 
with the creation of " new heavens and a new earth 
wherein dwelleth righteousness" ? 

But to return — "She brake the box and poured 
the ointment upon his head." The sacrifice she made 
was great, and would have been difficult, but for the 
state of her mind. In making it, she had at once to 
resist the love of money, and the influence of pride 
and vanity. She had, doubtless, purchased this very 
costty perfume to expend upon herself and her charms. 
A female who neglects her person is a slattern, and 
deservedly despised ; but her person is an article a 
woman rarely overlooks. She seems intuitively, as 
well as from observation, conscious that, as to thou- 
sands, she can make more impression by exterior 
appearance than by either intelligence or pious worth. 
This she early learns ; and when does she forget ? 
" Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her 
attire ?" 

But this woman forgets all thoughts of herself in 
thoughts of the Saviour. Her knowledge of him 
whom her soul loved had reduced the value of every 
other attraction ; and she could realize the language 
of the poet, and say, 



As by the light of opening day, 
The stars are all concealed, 

So earthly pleasures fade away. 
When Jesus is revealed. 



142 LECTURE X. 

Its pleasures uow no longer please 

No more content afford ; 
Far from my heart be joys like these, 

Now I have seen the Lord. 

in. Observe the censure. 

'* And there were some that had indignation within 
themselves, and said, "Why was this waste of the oint- 
ment made ? For it might have been sold for more 
than three hundred pence, ^nd have been given to 
the poor. And they murmured against her." 

There is a disposition observable in some, to view 
unfavorably everything that falls under their notice. 
They seek to gain consequence, by always differing 
from others in judgment ; and try to depreciate what 
they allow to be worthy in itself, by hinting at some 
mistake or imperfection in the performance. You are 
too lofty, or too low in jout manners ; you are too 
frugal, or too profuse in your expenditure ; you are too 
taciturn, or too free in your speech ; and so of the rest. 

Now, guard against this tendency. Nothing will 
conduce more to your uncomfortableness than living 
in the neighborhood of ill-nature, and being familiar 
with discontent. The disposition grows with indul- 
gence ; and is low and base in itself ; and if any 
should be ready to pride themselves on skill and 
facility in the science, let them remember that the 
acquisition is cheap and easy : a child can deface and 
destroy : dulness and stupidity, which seldom lack 
inclination or means, can cavil and find fault ; and 
everything can furnish ignorance, prejudice, and envy, 
with a handle of reproach. 



THE WOMAN WHO ANOINTED THE SAVIOUR. 143 

Why was not such a thing done ? Because, perhaps, 
it was impossible : because, perhaps, it was improper : 
because, perhaps, it would have done evil rather than 
good. You censure ; but if you knew all, you would 
commend what you now condemn. You censure ; 
but you would have acted in the same manner, had 
you been placed in the same condition. 

We cannot judge properly of any course of action, 
or any instance of conduct, unless we take into 
account its circumstances, its bearings, its reasons, 
its motives ; and how rarely can we do this with 
fairness ; and hence we are forbidden to do it at all. 
"Judge not, that ye be not judged." "Let us not 
therefore judge one another any more." But let us 
rather invite into our bosoms the charity which 
" thinketh no evil ; believeth all things, hopeth all 
things, endureth all things." 

TV. Observe the vindication. 

From the cavils of the murmurers the Saviour 
justifies the deed. " And Jesus said. Let her alone ; 
Avhy trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work 
on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and 
whensoever ye will ye ma}' do them good : but me 
ye have not always. She hath done what she could : 
she has come aforehand to anoint my body to the 
burying." 

First; It is obvious she felt the reflection. This 
is more than implied in our Saviour's rebuke, " why 
trouble ye her?" She probably turned aside and 
wept. Though it ought to be a light thing with us 



144 LECTURE X. 

to be judged of men's judgment, it cannot but be 
painful to be misunderstood and misrepresented (espe- 
ciallj^ when conscious of well-doing) by real friends 
and good men, whose good opinion and favor we 
value. 

Yet, Secondly ; She does not complain of ill usage ; 
she makes no angry or hasty reply ; she says nothing, 
but leaves her case to plead for itself How unlike 
this, is the disposition of many. HowJ.rritable, how 
impatient are they. They cannot trust Grod for a 
moment with their repu.tation. Hence they are in- 
stantly provoked to defend themselves, and angrily 
retaliate, and thus take the matter out of his hand, 
who, if they suffer innocently and righteously, has 
said, " No weapon that is formed against thee shall 
prosper ; and every tongue that shall rise against 
thee in judgment thou shalt condemn." "To do 
good, and to bear evil," says Latimer, " is inscribed 
on the crown for which we run :" and we know who 
has " suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we 
should follow his steps ; who, when he was reviled, 
reviled not again ; when he suffered he threatened 
not ; but committed himself to him that judgeth 
righteously." 

And well might this good woman be silent, for 
he was near who justified ; and. 

Thirdly ; We see that he approved of her action, 
and called what they upbraided, " a good work ;" that 
is, becoming, reasonable, righteous ; " she hath wrought 
a good work on me." 

It was opportune, and seasonable ; and every- 
thing is beautifal in its time. He was soon to be 



THE WOMAN WHO ANOINTED THE SAVIOUR. 145 

absent from them, and bej^ond the reach of their at- 
tention ; he was within a few days of his death ; and 
this would not be the case with the poor ; the poor 
would remain to receive acts of kindness. While 
some opportunities are frequently returning, others 
occur but once ; and where this is the case our duty 
is pressing and immediate. Upon this principle 
Solomon says, " Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, 
do it with thy might ; for there is no work, nor de- 
vice, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, 
whither thou goest." 

It was significant. As if he had said, " If I were 
dead you would be willing to expend more than this 
sum upon my corpse, and you would not say, what 
good can it do to his senseless remains ? It should be 
applied to the living and not to the dead. You would 
not ask, why is this waste then f and why call you it 
so now f There is more in this action than you are 
aware of; an intimation, a prefigu ration of my death ; 
for I am ready to be offered, and the time of my de- 
parture is at hand, and she is beginning to signalize 
my burial." 

Now, it is not certain or probable that she intend- 
ed emblematically to "solemnize this event; but we 
here have an instance of the overruling providence of 
God, who, in an enterprise or action, has frequently 
in view an end, far beyond the knowledge and design 
of the agent. 

We see also how apprized our Lord was of the 
certainty and approach of his death, and how much 
he thought of it, and alluded to it. 

He also owns the degree of her endeavor ; for, 
7 



146 LECTUKE X. 

though it ^vas not meritorious or extraordinary, "she 
had done what she couldP Many duties and services 
might be much more perfect than they are ; but their 
deficiencies are overlooked and forgiven, because of 
the want of better light and ampler means ; and be- 
cause of the number of difficulties and hinderances in 
the condition of those, who *' would do good," but 
** evil is present with them ; and how to perform that 
which is good they find not." The Lord regards the 
heart, and judges of our performance by our abilit}^ ; 
and "if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted 
according to that a man hath, and not according to 
that he hath not." 

Hence, you need not envy those who are placed 
in higher stations, or who command richer resources 
than yourselves. You may do as much, compara- 
tively, as they ; yea, you may do much more, in the 
judgment of him, who " called unto him his disciples, 
and said unto them, Yerily I say unto you, that 
this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they who 
have cast into the treasury ; for all they did cast in 
of their abundance ; but she of her want did cast in 
all that she had, even all her living." 

Honor and shame from no condition rise ; 
Act well your part, there all the honor lies. 

Fill up your sphere properly, however humble and 
contracted ; and use diligently your means and op- 
portunities, however few and limited. Do what you 
can^ and " whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all 
in the name of the Lord Jesus ;" and he will not only 
accept, but reward you graciously ; and you shall one 



THE WOMAN WHO ANOIKTED THE SAVIOUR. 147 

day hear liim say, " Well done, thou good and faith- 
ful servant ; thou hast been faithful over a few things, 
I wiU make thee ruler over many things ; enter thou 
into the joy of thy Lord." 

Y. Observe the memorial. 

For he does not deem it enough to justify her con- 
duct. He approves of it. He commends it. He 
applauds it. He immortalizes it. "Yerily I say 
unto you, Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached 
throughout the whole world, this also that she 
hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of 
her." 

This declaration has been amply fulfilled. Her 
action was recorded in the sacred history, as soon as 
it was published. There it has been preserved ever 
since. It has been continually perused by readers, 
and expounded by preachers. We are at this very 
moment complying with the Saviour's design, and 
nations yet unborn shall arise and call her blessed. 

Here, therefore, we may remark two things : — 

First^ We have here an instance and evidence of 
the wisdom and truth of the Lord Jesus. He is "the 
Amen, the faithful and true witness." All his decis- 
ions, all his announcements, all his promises may be 
relied on with more firmness than we can rely upon 
the continuance of heaven and earth ; for " heaven 
and earth may pass away, but his word shall not pass 
away." 

Secondly^ We here see the judgment of our Lord 
and Saviour, as to what he deems truly excellent, and 
most worthy of renown and perpetuity : — not the 



148 LECTURE X. 

adventures of merchants ; not the intrigues of politi- 
cians ; not the exploits of heroes ; not the pomp of 
kings ; not the prodigies of genius ; not the discoveries 
of philosophers. " After all these things do the Gen- 
tiles seek." These are the wonders which the men of 
the world admire. To these they consecrate their 
eulogies ; and of these thej endeavor to eternize 
the memorials in statues of marble and brass. They 
have little regard for humbleness of mind, for purity 
of heart, for heavenly tempers, for all the fruits of the 
Spirit, which are "love, joy, peace, long suffering, 
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." 
But you know who, in answer to the question of the 
disciples, " Who is the greatest in the kingdom of 
heaven?" " called a little child unto him, and set him 
in the midst of them, and said, Yerily I say unto 
you, Except ye be converted, and become as little 
children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of 
heaven." And you know where you read, " The 
Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in them 
that hope in his mercy ;" and " The prayer of the 
upright is his delight ;" and "To this man will I 
look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, 
and trembleth at my word." So true is it that " his 
thoughts are not our thoughts ;" and that " he seeth 
not as man seeth." 

How many things done in the house of Simon the 
leper, and in Bethany, and in Judea, and in Greece 
and Eome, have perished like a dream ; while " Yerily 
I say unto you. Wheresoever this Gospel shall be 
preached throughout the whole world, this also that 
this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memo- 
rial of her." , 



THE WOMAN WHO ANOINTED THE SAVIOUK. 149 

In conclusion, let us, First^ remark with pleasure, 
that though the Lord Jesus had always been " despised 
and rejected of men," this has never been invariably and 
universally the case. To some he has ever been " pre- 
cious," " the chief among ten thousand," the " alto- 
gether lovely." " Abraham saw his day and was glad." 
Moses "■ esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches 
than the treasures in Egypt." David '' sang of his 
righteousness, and talked of his salvation all the day 
long." Even in the days of his flesh, and under all 
his humihations, there were some who "saw his glor}^, 
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full 
of grace and truth ;" and Simeon, and Anna, and all 
those " who looked for redemption in Jerusalem/' em- 
braced him with a rapture expressive of this language, 
" Lo, this is our God ; we have waited for him, and 
he will save us ; this is the Lord ; we have waited 
for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salva- 
tion." 

And how has the number of his admirers increased 
since ? and how is it increasing now ? and what will 
it be when " He shall be great to the ends of the earth ; 
and all nations shall call him blessed" ? " Blessed be 
his glorious name forever ; and let the whole earth 
be filled with his glory ; Amen, and Amen." 

Kemark, Secondly^ Where love to Christ is the pnn- 
ciple, it will evince itself by its influence and effects. 
It cannot be hid, it cannot lie dormant, it cannot be 
inoperative. It will lead you to ask, " What wilt thou 
have me to do ?" It will induce you not only to 
think, but to speak well of his name ; not only to seize, 
but to seek after opportunities of doing him honor ; 



160 LECTURE X 

and make you willing not only to serve him, but to 
sacrifice for him and to say. 

All that I am, and all I have, 

Shall be forever thine; 
Whate'er my dutybids me^ive, 

My cheerful hands resign. 

Away then with mere words and professions. " Let 
us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed 
and in truth." The question is. What are we doing ? 
What are we giving up ? Wherein are we denying our- 
selves for his sake? For this is his decision, — "and 
the Scripture cannot be broken "^ — " He that forsaketh 
not all that he hath cannot be my disciple." 

Say not, he is no longer personally within our reach. 
There are objects in which you may show your regard 
to him, by the proofs of your regard to them. His 
sabbaths, his ordinances, his ministers, his members, 
his poor, are not only dear to him, but are, in a sense, 
himself; and what you do to them he considers as 
done for himself. And can you do too much for Mm ? 
Consider the dignity of his person, the nearness of his 
relations, the immensity of his claims. Oh ! think 
of him who remembered you in your low estate, who, 
when "he was rich, for your sakes became poor," and 
died that you might live, and is now your advocate 
with the Father, and making all things work together 
for your good ; all your salvation, and all your desire. 
And Oh ! let his love constrain you to feel and ex- 
emplify what you often sing : 

Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
That were a present far too small ; 

Love so amazing, so divine. 

Demands my soul, my life, my all. 



THE WOMAN WHO ANOINTED THE SAVIOUE. 151 

Thirdly^ Be not surprised or discouraged if you 
meet with dislike, opposition, and reproacli, in your 
best endeavors. You are a peculiar people, and 
many of your observers '^ will tbink it strange that 
you run not with them to the same excess of riot, 
speaking evil of you." The world knoweth you not, 
and 3^ou are not to wonder if the world hate you. 
They hate you because you are not of the Avorld, and 
by your conversion are apostates from their part}?-. 
The}' may call your faith, folly ; your hope, presump- 
tion ; your meekness, meanness ; and your zeal, 
enthusiasm ; but, like Peter and John, you are to 
" rejoice that you are counted worthy to suffer shame 
for his name ;" and to say with Dand — " if this be 
to be vile, I will be yet more vile." 

And if you pass from the world into the church, 
you may, even there, meet with swellings (if not 
tumults) and evil surmises, and unkind accusations. 
Yea, you may meet with painful treatment from even 
good and godly men ; for the pious are not always 
wise ; or always able to enter into your views and 
plans, while yet they will readily undertake to decide 
concerning them. You must not expect every one to 
acquiesce in your convictions, or to admire your ap- 
probations ; but in the midst of divers opinions, and 
even of the strifes of tongues, your rejoicing is to be 
the testimony of your conscience ; and your motto this ; 

Careless, myself a dying man, 

Of dying men's esteem ; 
Happy, O God, if thou approve, 

Though all besides condemn. 

Fourthly^ Jesus will not allow vou to be sufferers 



162 LECTUEE X. 

by anything you may do for him. " You may lose," 
says Henry, " in liis service, but you cannot lose hy 
it." He will be sure to repay you, either in kind, or 
in equivalence. " And every one that hath forsaken 
houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, 
or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, 
shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit ever- 
lasting life." 

What the prince said to his prime minister, the Lord 
says to each of his servants, " Mind my affairs, and I 
will mind yours." And if he cares for you, your 
concerns will be much better managed than by any 
attentions of your own ; for he knows all things, and 
has all hearts at his disposal, and all events under his 
control. He can make you rich, and add no sorrow 
with it. He can restore and preserve your health, 
so that all your '' bones shall say, Lord, who is like 
unto thee ?" He can " make your enemies to be at 
peace with you." He can give you comfort in all 
your connexions. He can " make darkness light be- 
fore you, and crooked things straight." He can do 
for you " exceeding abundantly above all that you 
ask or think." When the eye can no longer bless 
you, or the ear give witness unto you, your memory 
shall be blessed; and Grod will not "forget your work 
of faith, and labor of love." 

If you should die under reproach, the reproach will 
soon be rolled away ; and from every cloud ypu " shall 
shine forth as the sun, in the kingdom of your Father." 
Many have had things laid to their charge which 
they knew not ; they have been spoiled of their goods, 
they have been immured in prisons, they have been 
defamed by the tongues of persecutors and bigots. 



THE WOMAN WHO AXOINTED THE SAVIOUR. 153 

and by the pens of lying liistorians. This was the 
case with Bunyan, and with the Nonconformists, 
" of whom the world Avas not worthy," and with 
thousands more ; — and they seemed abandoned. But, 
no. How have they been honored in subsequent 
ages! And their day is yet coming; called "the 
manifestation of the sons of God ;" when there shall be 
a resurrection of characters, as well as of persons ; and 
the Judge of all " will bring to light the hidden things 
of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the 
hearts : and then shall every man have praise of God." 
7* 



LECTURE XL 



THE POOR WIDOW. 

And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people 
cast money into the treasury : and many that were rich cast in 
much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in 
two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his 
disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this 
poor widow hath cast more iu, than all they who have cast into 
the treasury : for all tliey did cast in of their abundance ; but she 
of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. 

Mark, xii. 41-44. 

Wherever there is a Temple there should be a 
Treasury. The friends of the " man lame from his 
mother's womb," showed their prudence, in laying 
him " daily at the gate of the temple, to ask alms of 
them that entered in." Piety and liberality, devo- 
tion and charity, harmonize well together. The 
" prayers and alms" of Cornelius " came up for a 
memorial before God :" and what is required of us 
but " to love mercy," as well as "to do justly, and 
to walk humbly with our God" ? 

God is not only great, but gracious and bountiful, 
and is to be resembled as well as worshipped. In- 
deed; our imitation of him is the best mode of our 



THE POOR WIDOW. 155 

adoration and praise, and therefore, says the Saviour, 
" Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do 
good to them that hate you, and pray for them who 
despitefully use you, and persecute you ; that ye may 
be the children of you.r Father who is in heaven : for 
he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the 
good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is 
in heaven is perfect." 

Even under the legal dispensation it was command- 
ed that none should " appear before the Lord empty :" 
and the Jewish worshippers were called upon to " go 
and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and 
not sacrifice." When Oman offered to give to David 
his ground for an altar, his oxen for a sacrifice, his 
threshing instruments for the wood, and his wheat for 
a meat offering, David refused, and said, " Nay, but I 
will verily buy it for the full price : for I will not 
take that which is thine for the Lord ; neither will I 
offer unto the Lord, my God, of that which doth cost 
me nothing." This was a noble resolution ; and he 
never swerved from it through life, but constantly 
said, " I will freely sacrifice unto thee, O Lord." 
May we all partake of the same spirit, and exemplify 
the same determination : that " none of us may live to 
himself, and no one die to himself : but whether we 
live, we may live unto the Lord; and whether we 
die, we may die unto the Lord ; so that whether we 
live or die, we may be the Lord's." 

But to our subject. " Jesus sat over against the 
treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into 
the treasury : and many that were rich cast in much. 



156 LECTUEE XI 

And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw 
in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called 
unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Yerilj 
I saj unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more 
in, than all they who have cast into the treasury : 
for all they did cast in of their abundance ; but she 
of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her 
living." 

Let us I. REVIEW THE NARRATIVE. 

And II. ENQUIRE FOR WHAT PURPOSE our Sav- 
iour then called his disciples, and now calls us 
to consider and observe it. 

I. We REVIEW THE NARRATIVE itself. 

In doing this, we mark Firsi^ The Saviourh Oh- 
servatory. " Jesus sat over against the treasury." 
The Saviour " was holy, harmless, undefiled, and sepa- 
rate from sinners;" and as he never passed an idle 
hour, and never spake a useless word, so he never 
performed an action without a motive, and a motive 
becoming himself. He did not, therefore, assume this 
position, as a place of display. He could well say, 
" I seek not honor from men." He never did any- 
thing to be seen of men ; unless the action rendered 
it unavoidable, or it was for the benefit of the ob- 
servers ; and this license he allows his disciples ; " Let 
your light so shine before men, that they may see 
your good works, and glorify your Father who is in 
heaven." 

We may be equally sure that he placed himself in 



THE POOR WIDOW. 157 

this position, not for anything hke entertainment, or 
curiosity ; but his purpose was to furnish himself with 
matter for illustration, instruction, and improvement, 
as a teacher who was to " speak as never man spake," 
speaking " as one having authority, and not as the 
Scribes ;" not dealing in dry speculations, and tame 
declamations, but enlivening his addresses by individ- 
Tiahties, facts, examples, similitudes; speaking so that 
his hearers would be able to understand and feel; 
preaching the gospel to the poor, and binding up 
the broken-hearted. Hence he could say, " The Lord 
God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I 
should know how to speak a word in season to him 
that is weary." A preacher should be a man whose 
"lips keep knowledge," and who is able to distinguish 
things that differ ; for which he must prepare himself 
by much observation. Accordingly, we here find the 
" teacher sent from God," himself intent on this object. 
And mark Secondly ^ His Inspection. ■ He " beheld-how 
the people cast money into the treasury." But how 
did he behold it? Was it with his bodily eyes? 
This indeed was partially the case, but not fully; 
that is, he conld thus see the givings, but not the dif- 
ferences of the gifts. It is, however, obvious that he 
saw the one as well as the other ; and this required 
more than eyes of flesh. And Avhy should we forget 
that he possessed more than human perception and dis- 
cernment ? Peter acknowledged his omniscience, and 
was not reproved when he said, "Lord, thou knowest 
all things." It was prophesied of him that he should 
be "of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord;" 
and should " not judge after the sight of his eyes, nor 



168 LECTUEE XI. 

reprove after tlie hearing of his ears ;" and how often 
did he answer invidious and malicious questions, not 
according to their palpable import, but to the state of 
mind, and the designs of the propounders ; covering 
them with shame, convicted as thej were in their own 
consciences. He apprehended the forsaking of his dis- 
ciples, the denial of Peter, and the treason of Judas, 
before there was any human probability of either. 
He had a knowledge that gained nothing by events ; 
and " needed not that any should testify of man ; for 
he knew what was in man." 

And let fis not view this as a truth in which we 
have no concern ; we are under the same inspection ; 
and he who saw all that passed on the occasion before 
us, sees all now : " neither is there any creature that 
is not manifest in his sight ; but all things are naked 
and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have 
to do." In particular, I would remark, that he sees 
what are your views, and feelings, and doings, with 
regard to your pecuniary affairs ; for " the silver and 
the gold are his," not only as to their disposal and 
control, but also as to their acquisition and possession. 

Yes, he beholds you in the acquisition of your 
property ; and sees whether it is in the sober 
use of lawful means, and with dependence on 
" the blessing of the Lord, which maketh rich, and 
addeth no sorrow with it;" or in the strainings of 
him that " maketh haste to be rich, and is not inno- 
cent ;" and the darings of them who " will be rich, 
and fall into temptation and a snare, and into many 
foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in de- 
struction and perdition." Do you undervalue what 



THE POOR WIDOW. 169 

yoTi wisTi to buy, and praise what you mean to sell 
bej^ond its real worth? If jou do not rob, do you 
not defraud ? If you do not plunder, do you not 
supplant ? Do jou oppress the poor ? Do you under- 
pay your servants and workmen ? Is " the hii-e of 
the laborers who have reaped down your fields, kept 
back by fraud" ? — 

He seeth ! 

He also beholds you in the possession of your 
property; whether, as "riches increase," you "set 
your heart upon them;" whether you "make 
gold your hope, and fine gold yoar confidence ;" 
whether you are saying to your soul, " Soul, thou 
hast much goods laid up for many years ; take thine 
ease, eat, drink, and be merry;" whether you are 
hoarding instead of using, or whether you are spending 
your substance in the pride of life, in idleness, or 
dissipation, or vice ; or whether you give, and what 
you give, and /o?- what jou give, and how you give ; 
and whether grudgingly or cheerfully. — 

He seeth ! 

And thus, both in the getting and in the using of 
property, we are utider the eye of this Judge of all. 

Mark, Thirdly, His Distinction of the Donors. All 
alike gave, but all gave not alike. Two parties are 
recognized by him. 

The one, wealthy. "Many that were rich cast in 
much." That the rich should give, and give largely, 
and that this should be the case with numbers of 
them too, was to their honor ; especially as the 
practice has never been common. 

The other indigent; and as particulars strike more 



160 LECTUEE XI. 

than generalities, an individual is liere specified. She 
was "a certain poor widow." Widows are charac- 
ters often met with in Scripture, but this widow is 
very distinguishable from many of them ; for she ap- 
pears not as a receiver, but as a giver ; not as a bene- 
ficiary, but as a benefactress. The widow whose 
husband had died insolvent, the widow of Sarepta, 
the widows weeping for Dorcas, all these were in cir- 
cumstances of distress, and requiring assistance ; and 
widows are commonly spoken of as desolate ; are 
mentioned in connection with another afflicted class, 
the fatherless ; and are represented as peculiarly liable 
to oppression and injury. 

Much experience in sorrow breeds sympathy. They 
who have felt the heavy blow themselves, will not 
easily turn a deaf ear, and an unfeehng heart, to a 
fellow sufferer, who, by reason of his anguish, cries, 
" Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, ye, my 
friends ; for the hand of God hath touched me." "Be 
kind to strangers," said God to Israel, " for ye know 
the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in 
the land of Egypt." 

It is not, therefore, surprising that a poor widow 
should be noted in relation to charity. But a dispo- 
sition to give is one thing, ability is another; and, 
therefore, while the rich gave much, this widow 
"threw in" only "two mites, which make a farthing." 

Such were the donors our Saviour recognized, and 
such were their respective contributions. They dif- 
fered widely in their real substance, and would give 
rise to various judgments concerning them. 

It is easy to conceive what the givers themselves 



THE POOR WIDOW. 161 

would think of them. The rich would be satisfied ; 
imagining that they had done their duty, if not more 
than was required of them; and even paid a com- 
pensation for delinquencies. While the poor widow 
would deem what she had done unworthy of notice ; 
and, perhaps, felt ashamed to cast into the treasury 
such a mean trifle. 

Others, who were lookers on, had they known what, 
the parties gave, would have extolled the one as prod- 
igies of liberality ; while they would have treated the 
other with neglect, or reproached her for giving what 
she could not afford, and contemned her offering as an 
insult rather than a benefaction. 

But how were they viewed by him " whose eyes 
are as a flame of fire," and " who search eth the reins 
and the hearts" ? For " not he who commendeth 
himself," or whom man commendeth, "is approved, 
but whom the Lord commendeth." 

This leads us to mark, Fourthly^ The Decision^ which 
the Saviour pronounces with regard to their claims. 
" He called unto him his disciples, and saith unto 
them, Yerily I say unto you, that this poor widow 
hath cast more in, than all they who have cast into 
the treasury ; for all they did cast in of their abun- 
dance; but she of her want did cast in all that she 
had, even all her living." 

At first this seems strange ; and our Lord could 
not mean that she had given more than all the others, 
as to quantity, or as to quality ; but more, as to mo- 
tive; more, as to principle; more, as to disposition; 
more, relatively as to their condition and her circum- 
stances; more, comparatively. 



162 ' LECTUEE XI. 

And liere we introduce the fine observation of Mr. 
Henry, tliat " cliaritj is to be judged of, not by wbat 
is given, but by what is left." Though these men 
had given much, they had done it "of their abun- 
dance," and superfluity ; and could go home to houses 
filled with plenty, and to tables spread with all kinds 
of viands ; while she shivered home to a lonely apart- 
ment, and opening her larder, found nothing for the 
day, unless as the coming in from hard toil, or the 
effect of casual suppl}'. 

Let us pass to the Second part of our subject, 
and having examined the narrative itself, let us in- 
quire, For what Purpose the Saviour called his 
disciples then^ and for what purpose he calls us now^ 
to observe it? 

Would he not teach us, that v/e are not to esti- 
mate things absolutely, or abstracted from their re- 
lations and circumstances? 

The very taking away of life is not necessarily, or 
in itself, murder. In the magistrate it is, the execu- 
tion of justice. The same commendation may be 
flattery or praise, according to the mind of the 
speaker. A thousand circumstances will debase or 
ennoble an action, materially the same. Thus in 
alms-giving a sovereign may be less than a farthing, 
and a farthing may be more than a sovereign. 

And here we would observe that, as many of the 
respective circumstances which justify or condemn, 
enhance or aggravate conduct, are often beyond the 
reach of our discernment, it becomes us to be mindful 
of the admonition, " Judge not, that jq be not judged." 

Again, would he not, by this decision, teach us 



THE POOR WIDOW. 163 

that "7i25 thouglits are not our tlionglits, nor his 
ways our ways;" and he that "seeth not as man 
seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, 
but the Lord looketh on the heart." " That which 
is highly esteemed among men, may be an abomina- 
tion in the sight of God ;" and that which is despised 
among men may be precious in his esteem. 

The question therefore is, how we stand with re- 
gard to him, and what we are in his view, as to our 
persons and performances. " With me," says the 
Apostle to the Corinthians, "it is a very small thing 
that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment : 
he that judgeth me is the Lord." And so should it 
be with us. 

Above all, would he not teach us that in his eyes 
the rule with regard to liberality is proportion ? This 
appears to be the main inference to be drawn from 
the subject ; and it may usefully be applied to three 
things — the Prevention of Envy :■ — ^the Encourage- 
ment of Penury : — and the Humiliation of Pride. 

First^ It will apply to the Prevention of Envy. 

" The spirit that is in us lusteth to envj^ ;" and 
it sometimes operates under a notion which seems to 
sanctify it. " Oh!" you sometimes say, " how happy 
are they that possess ample resources, and means of 
doing good ? Oh ! if I had such ability, what would 
I not accomplish ? The blessing of him that is ready 
to perish should come upon me, and I would cause the 
widow's heart to sing for joy." But are you sure of 
this? Are the disposition and the capacity always 
equal and united ? Have you not known many who 
have failed in the practice, as they increased in the 



164 LECTUEE XI. 

ability ; so that tliey have not only done less, com- 
paratively, than before, but even less, really ? The 
case was, they did not think it worth while to be 
covetous, till they found it possible to accumulate ; 
but indulgence in success encouraged them, and made 
them think of worshipping mammon. 

Besides, if you wish to be rich in order to be 
benevolent, the thing is needless ; where there is 
" first a willing mind, it is accepted according to 
that a man hath, and not according to that he hath 
not." 

If nothing more than purpose in thy power, 
The purpose firm is equal to the deed ; 
Who does the best his circumstance allows, 
Does well, acts nobly : angels could no more. 

Though a farthing was the least, it was also the 
greatest offering of the day. 

Secondly^ Here is Encouragement for Penury : — and 
the poor require it. We have known persons kept 
away from the house of God, because they could 
only appear in vile raiment ; and others who have 
been prevented from coming to the table of the Lord, 
because they could put nothing into the communion 
plate. 

Oh I what do some feel at public collections be- 
cause they cannot give like others ! and what do they 
feel when, in private applications, they are compelled 
to say, not from indisposition but inability, "Depart 
in peace, be ye warmed and filled, and give not those 
things which are needful to the body." But let them 
remember, that though David could not build the 
temple, he could desire it, and purpose it, and it was 



THE POOR WIDOW. 165 

well that it was in his heart ; and even the non-per- 
formance did not lose a reward. God, in estimating 
your services, admits into the account not only what 
you do, (which at most is very little,) but all you long 
to do, and would do if it were in your power ; and 
this, in doing, magnifies the work, and in giving, the 
gift. 

Let none, therefore, however humble their condi- 
tion, or limited their means, suppose for a moment 
that they are doomed to uselessness ; or conclude, 
that because they have not ten talents, or five, they 
cannot trade with one. This one may be laid up in 
a napkin, and the neglect to use it will constitute an 
unprofitable servant. It is a sad mistake of some, 
that because they cannot do much, they are justified 
in doing nothing. Oh ! for the commendation of 
Mary ! " She hath done what she could." 

Tliirdly^ Here is Abasement for the Proud. 

Of nothing, perhaps, are men vainer than their 
bounty, or what they give, especially if they give 
" much," though it be " of their abundance." But 
what is this "much," (so deemed by themselves and 
their admirers,) when it comes to be properly ex- 
amined ? Is it much materially ? Is it much rela- 
tively ? Is it much compared with what others give, 
whose means are unspeakably less? What sacrifice 
does the. giving involve ? What self-denial does it 
exercise ? What is left ? 

Yet we read of those who "bless the covetous, 
whom the Lord abhorreth :" and it is lamentable to 
think how commonly this evil praise prevails. But 
can ministers be ever chargeable with it, who ought. 



166 LECTUKE XL 

above all men to be no respecters of persons ? Alas ! 
do tbey not sometimes widen the doors of admission 
to tlie Lord's table, to receive the richer candidates, 
though thej often prove the most troublesome mem- 
bers, and do far less to promote the common cause 
than their humbler brethren ? Do they not extol in 
memoirs, and cry up in funeral discourses, those, in 
their communion, who die scandalously rich ? They 
might at least give a gentle condemnation or censure 
on such characters ; or they might let them pass off 
from their communion in silence, as they frequently 
do some of the poor of their flock. 

I am free to assert that, in a long life and ministry, 
and after much opportunity^ to inspect society, I have 
found the greatest instances of liberality and benevo- 
lence, not among the rich, but among the poor. 

And their day is coming; and what scenes will 
that day disclose, when "the Lord shall come, who 
will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and 
will make manifest the counsels of the hearts : and 
then shall every man have praise of God." Then 
will he say to those prodigies of liberality and benev- 
olence, who, in giving much, have given nothing ; 
" You have boasted of your doings, and been admired 
by your fellow-creatures ; you have received your 
consolation, and had your reward. Depart, and re- 
flect forever on the good you might have done, and 
the evil you have done, by your riches, living and 
dying. 

But to those who were poor in this world's goods, 
but " rich in faith ;" who gave what they could ill 
spare, or might have expended in nameless ways 



THE POOR WIDOW. 167 

on their own conveniences and wants ; and who in 
doing so little did much ; the liver on a straightened 
stipend ; the worn-ont mechanic ; the hard laborer 
in the field ; the widow with her two mites ; he will 
say, '' Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast 
been faithful over a few things, I will make thee 
ruler over many things ; enter thou into the joy of 
thy Lord." 



LECTURE XII. 

THE PENITENT SINNBE. 

And he said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman ? — Luke, vii 44. 

What affords pleasure to the angels of God ? They 
have intercourse with our world, and know what is 
passing among men. They see the fields of battle ; 
the revolutions of empires ; the discoveries of philoso- 
phers ; the improvemonts in arts and sciences ; the 
extension of commerce ; the civilizations of savage life. 
What among all these transactions and events yields 
them pleasure ? It is, The conveksion of a Soul. 

This answer will not gratify the hero, the politician, 
the scholar, the merchant. It will surprise the '' men 
of the world, who have their portion in this life ;" and 
who only ask, " What shall we eat, and what shall we 
drink, and wherewithal shall we be clothed?" But 
we are assured by the lips of everlasting truth, that 
" there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over 
one sinner that repenteth." 

From this declaration, two things undeniably result, 
in the minds of all who believe it. The one is, The 



THE PENITENT SINNER. 169 

* 

disinterested Benevolence of tliese Heavenl}^ Beings. 
Thongli they are the elder branches of the family, and 
have kept their first estate, yet, instead of repining at 
the return and reception of their younger brethren, 
they rejoice to see the prodigals restored, and placed 
in a state even superior to their own. 

The other is, The Importance of Eepentance. 
Little can be inferred from the censure or praise of 
men, or from the grief or joy of mortals. We are 
often agitated by trifles ; we are full of ignorance, and 
are governed by prejudice ; we call evil good, and good 
evil ; we put darkness for light, and light for darkness. 
But it is otherwise with the angels of God. They are 
proverbial for their knowledge ; no ignorance deludes, 
no prejudice warps them. They "always behold the 
face of our Father who is in heaven," They are perfect 
beings ; and their judgment is always according to 
truth. 

And do they rejoice over one sinner that repenteth? 
Then there is no subject more momentous and inter- 
esting than repentance. Then there is no subject 
more worth}^ of the attention of preachers, or the self- 
examination of hearers. Then we need not wonder 
that we find so many calls to it, and so many instances 
of it, recorded in the Scriptures. 

To one of these instances, and a very striking one, 
your thoughts are now summoned. 

Thus reads the whole relation :• — " And one of the 
Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. 
And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down 
to meat. And, behold, a woman in the city, who 
was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat 

8 



170 LECTUEE XII. 

in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of 
ointment, and stood at his feet, behind him, weeping ; 
and bega,n to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe 
them with the haKS of her head, and kissed his feet, 
and anointed them with the ointment. Now when 
the Pharisee who had bidden him saw it, he spake 
within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, 
would have known who and what manner of woman 
this is that toncheth him ; for she is a sinner. And 
Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have some- 
what to say unto thee. And he saith. Master, say 
on. There was a certain creditor who had two 
debtors ; the one owed five hundred pence, and 
the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, 
he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, 
which of them will love him most ? Simon answered 
and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. 
And he said unto him. Thou hast rightly judged. 
And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, 
Seest thou this woman ? I entered into thine house, 
thou gavest me no water for my feet ; but she hath 
washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the 
hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss : but this 
woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to 
kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint : 
but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 
Wherefore I say unto thee. Her sins, which are many, 
are forgiven ; for she loved much : but to whom little 
is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto 
her. Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at 
meat with him began to say within themselves. Who 
is this that forgiveth sins also ? And he said to 



THE PENITENT SINNER. 171 

the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee ; go in 
peace." 

I address each of yon in the language of our Saviour 
to Simon, " Seest thou this woman ?" You say, Yes. 
But do you observe her ? Do jou study her character 
and history f Do you study her character and history, 
so as to apply them to the purposes of spiritual instrvxi- 
tion and improvement f 

Let us consider, 

I. What we may see in the character of this 

WOMAN. 

II. What we may learn from her history. 

We are to inquire, 
I. What may we see in the character of this 

WOMAN? 

We see in her — a Sinner. We see in her — a 
Reclaimed Sinner. We see in her — a Pardoned 
Sinner. 

First, We see in her a Sinner. So she is expressly 
called : "a woman who was a Sinner. ^^ We are all 
sinners. " All have sinned, and come short of the 
glory of Grod." " If we say we have no sin, we 
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." But 
it is not in this general sense that the term is here 
employed by the sacred historian. Lydia, whose 
heart the Lord opened, was a sinner ; but though 
she was not a believer, she was virtuous before her con- 
version, and as a proselyte " worshipped God." But 



172 LECTURE XII. 

this woman was infamous. Perhaps she had at first 
yielded to her own depraved dispositions, and gone 
voluntarily astray. Perhaps she had been originally 
drawn aside by some rich villain, some flattering 
hypocrite, some "child of the devil," who was "a 
liar and a murderer from the beginning." 

However this may be, we ought never to speak 
of such characters in the way of extenuation. They 
are guilty even in the outset ; for they have sense 
and reason ; and they cannot be ignorant that every- 
thing dear and valuable is sacrificed with the surren- 
der of virtue. 

But who can think, without horror and execration, 
of progress and perseverance in such a course of vice ? 
Surely if there were any remains of principle, the 
individual would rather die, than live in the way to 
hell, going down to the chambers of death, trading 
in iniquity, constantly endeavoring to ensnare, and 
seduce, and destroy. 

The Scripture, therefore, does not speak of such 
characters as pitiable, but as criminal ; not as imposed 
upon, but as deceiving ; not as corrupt, but as cor- 
rupters. " And I find more bitter than death, the 
woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her 
hands as bands : whoso pleaseth God shall escape 
from her ; but the sinner shall be taken by her." 
^' For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honey- 
comb, and her mouth is smoother than oil : but her 
end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged 
sword. Her feet go down to death ; her steps take 
hold on hell." We know this woman before us was 
guilty in no small degree. Our Saviour's comparison 



THE PENITENT SmNER. 173 

supposes her to owe " five hundred pence ;" and he 
pronounces her sins to have been " many," though 
" forgiven." 

Secondly^ We see in her a Reclaimed Sinner. In 
every subject of divine grace, a change takes place, 
which explains and verifies the promise ; " Instead 
of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead 
of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree ; and it 
shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting 
sign that shall not be cut off." Many talk much of 
the gi'ace of God, but the best way to magnify this 
grace is to show what it has done for us, and what 
it has done in us ; for the Scripture lays it down as 
a truth that admits of no exception, " If any man be 
in Christ, he is a new creature : old things are passed 
away ; behold, all things are become new." And if 
you ask, wherein does this change appear in the char- 
acter before us ? it is answered ; 

It appears in her Courage. 

It requires courage in a man, not only to forsake 
favorite sins, to pluck out a right eye, and to cut 
off a right hand ; but to risk the displeasure of friends ; 
to brave the reproach of singularity and preciseness ; 
to endure the scourge of the tongue ; to make a kind 
of public profession of his former follies ; and to take 
shame to himself before the eyes of those who Avill 
treat his conduct as weakness or hypocrisy. Hence, 
men who have been bold in a bad cause, have often 
been timid in a good one. They have been open in 
sin, and reserved in duty. They have gloried in their 
shame, and have been ashamed of their glory. We 
read of some who beheved in our Lord, but feared to 



174 LECTURE XII. 

confess him, " lest they should be put out of the syna- 
gogue ; for they loved the praise of men more than 
the praise of God." Even Nicodemus, to avoid notice, 
" came to him by night." 

But see this woman. She goes and exposes her- 
self before a large company. She goes alone. She 
goes uninvited. She is liable to be censured as an 
intruder, to be condemned as a disturber of the festive 
scene. She knew that the vileness of her former 
character would render her peculiarly obnoxious. She 
knew that she was going to the house of a Pharisee, 
who would think his very dwelling polluted by her 
entrance. She knew that the company would prob- 
ably look upon her with disdain and contempt ; and 
not fail, under her present appearance of devotion, to 
brand her with her former life. But none of these 
things move her. 

After all, do you wonder at her confidence ; and, 
while allowing for a difference in the manners of the 
age and country, do you find it dif&cult to account 
for her conduct? Eemember the force of divine 
truth, when it enters the conscience ; and remember 
also that the grace of Grod, while it enlightens the 
understanding to perceive the importance of eternal 
things, blinds us to carnal reasons, upon a thousand 
difiiculties which self-love would oppose at our en- 
trance into a religious life ; and that there are acts of 
piety, as there are strokes of genius, which must be 
felt rather than coldly criticised. 

It appears in her Humility. 

For in the day of conviction, " the proud looks are 
humbled, the lofty looks are laid low, and the Lord 



THE PENITEXT SINNER. 175 

alone is exalted." Though determined to accomplish 
her purpose, whatever difficulties opjDOsed her design, 
she does it in a way which proves that her zeal is 
not pride and vainglory. She wishes to attract the 
notice of none but the Saviour, and seems to shrink 
from the very attention she longs to awaken. " How 
can I look him in the face ?" She, therefore, comes 
" hehind hiTfiP 

Do you remember nothing like this in your own 
feelings, when a sense of sin urged you to the Friend 
of sinners? The poor Pilgrim, when she came to 
the door which she wished above all things to enter, 
trembled as she knocked ; she knocked softly, not from 
a want of earnestness, but a sense of meanness and 
guilt ; and then drew aside, as if afraid of the admission 
she sought. When Peter saw the Saviour's glory 
displayed, in the miracle of the fishes, he exclaimed, 
"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord." 
This was not the language of aversion, but of conscious 
unworthiness, rendered the more deep and humbling 
by the display of his glory and power. 

This woman does not aspire to be a guest ; she 
deems it enough to assume the place and office of a 
menial handmaiden, to wash his feet. And thus the 
prodigal is satisfied with the thought of the lowest 
station he could occupy, provided it be in his father's 
house. "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and 
before thee, and am not worthy to be called thy son ; 
make me as one of thy hired servants." 

It appears in her Contrition. 

The heart of stone is turned to flesh. She weeps ; 
weeps bitterly ; weeps abundantly. And truly, there 



176 LECTURE XII. 

is enough in sin to make a transgressor mourn. It 
lias "brought death into the world, and all our woe." 
It has turned the earth into a vale of tears ; gendered 
the worm that never dies, and kindled the fire that 
never shall be quenched. It exposes us to the wrath 
to come, and prepares us for fellowship with the devil 
and his angels. 

But what says the prophet? "They shall look 
upon him whom they have pierced, and they shall 
mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and 
shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitter- 
ness for his first-born.'' And what made this woman 
pour forth such a flood of tears ? - Did they only, or 
principally, flow from a sense of her danger ? Many 
are only affected with the evil of sin in the misery it 
incurs. If they are grieved, it is not that they are 
polluted, but that they are punishable ; not that they 
have acted a vile part, but a destructive one. 

But this is not the " godly sorrow Y^^hich worketh 
repentance to salvation ; and needeth not to be repented 
of." The true penitent sees that his sin is folly and 
madness, ingratitude and treachery. He sees that he 
has transgressed, not only times without number, but 
a law that is holy, and just, and good. He sees that 
he has offended a Being infinitelj^ worthy of all his 
regards. He sees that this Being, even while he was 
rebelling against him, was loading him with benefits ; 
and is, even now, after all his provocations, waiting 
to be gracious, and exalted to have mercy upon him. 
Then his heart dissolves ; then he wishes that his head 
were waters, and his eyes a fountain of tears ; and, sor- 
rowing after a godly sort, he manifests the fulfilment 



THE PENITENT SINNEE. 177 

of the divine promise, "I will establish my covenant 
with thee ; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord : 
that thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and 
never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, 
when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast 
done, saith the Lord God." 

It appears in her Attachment. 

She washes his feet with her tears ; she wipes them 
with the hairs of her head ; she embraces them ; and 
anoints them with a costly perfume. Judas kissed 
our Lord, but it was in order to betray him. Many 
'' draw nigh unto him with their mouth, and honor 
him with their lips, while their heart is far from him." 
But where the heart is given, nothing will be withheld, 
however dear or valued. This woman, therefore, 
employs her best ornament to honor him ; she sacri- 
fices the precious perfame which she had purchased 
to ex|)end upon her own person ; relinquishiDg the 
claims of vanity for the duties of devotion ; thinking 
nothing of herself, but only of her Saviour; and 
esteeming nothing too precious to sacrifice in the 
meanest service for him. 

It appears in her Faith. 

Many would have overlooked this, but our Saviour 
sees and remarks it. He well knew that faith was 
the ground of her application ; that it was the source 
of her courage, her humility, her sorrow, and her 
affection. These were only fruits ; faith was the root 
that bore them. She hoped that he would receive 
her. She believed that "with the Lord there was 
mercy, and with him plenteous redemption." She 
had a confidence that, unworthy as she was, he 

8* 



178 LECTURE XII. 

would ''in nowise cast lier out." He, therefore, 
" said unto her, Thy faith hath saved thee ; go in 
peace." 

Thirdly^ "We see in her a Pardoned Sinner. 

When David looked around to find a happy man, 
he does not say, blessed is he whose grounds bring 
forth plentifully; blessed is the man who governs 
nations with a nod; blessed is the man that strides 
from victory to victory; blessed is the man who is 
admired for genius and science. To many of these 
claims and distinctions he was himself no stranger ; 
he was a musician, and a poet, and a hero, and a king ; 
but the insuffi.ciency of all these he deplored ; and he 
prayed, " Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto 
me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name." 

But he exclaims, "Blessed is he whose transgression 
is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man 
unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in 
whose spirit there is no guile." He has the true 
notion of blessedness ; and he has the reality. The 
whole of his happiness is insured ; the whole of it is 
begun. He is blessed in his duties; blessed in his 
comforts ; blessed in his trials. To him aflfl.iction has 
no curse ; death has no sting ; eternity has no terrors. 

Such was the privilege of this woman; and two 
things enhance it. 

It was 2^ present blessing. It was not said, "Her 
sins, which are many, shall he forgiven :" but " are 
forgiven." 

It was, also, an assured benefit. Our safety depends 
upon our state; our consolation is much influenced 
by our knowledge. Not a few of the people of 



THE PENITENT SINNER. 179 

God go mourning all their days for want of the " full 
assurance of hope." But tins woman is not left for 
a moment in uncertainty. "He said to the woman, 
Thy sins are forgiven. Thy faith hath saved thee. 
Go in peace." 

We do not envy her the distinguished privilege 
with which she was favored. But Saviour, we 
long to share in the same blessedness. We long to 
be able to praise thee, as the health of our countenance, 
and our portion forever. Through many a be- 
nighted hour have we been waiting for thee, "more 
than they that watch for the morning." Scatter the 
doubts and fears that have enveloped and dismayed 
us, and "say unto my soul, I am thy salvation." 

Let us inquire. 

n. What may we leaen from the history of 

THIS WOMAN? 

First^ We learn from it the Disposition of Pharisees. 

How well does our Saviour describe them, when he 
speaks of "certain, who trusted in themselves that 
they were righteous, and despised others." 

How well did he exemplifj^, and contrast, and 
condemn their temper, when he said, "Two men 
went up into the temple to pray ; the one a Pharisee, 
and the other a Publican. The Pharisee stood and 
prayed thus with himself; God, I thank thee that I 
am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adul- 
terers, or even as this Publican. I fast twice in the 
week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the 
Publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much 



180 LECTUEE XII. 

as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon hia breast, 
saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, 
this man went down to his house justified rather than 
the other : for every one that exalteth himself shall 
be abased: and he that humbleth himself shall be 
exalted." How often did these self-justiciaries mur- 
mur, as a reproach to the Saviour himself, " This 
man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." So 
here : " When the Pharisee who had bidden him saw 
it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he 
were a prophet, would have known who and what 
manner of woman this is that toucheth him ; for she 
is a sinner." Here is censure without consideration. 
Here is judgment without mercy. Here is exclusion 
without hope. A sinner, even upon his return, is to 
be cut off, even from the means of grace, and for- 
bidden all intercourse with the preacher of righteous- 
ness ! " Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for 
his mercies are great; and let us not fall into the 
hand of man !" 

Secondly^ We learn from it the Condescension and 
Kindness of the Saviour. 

Power may cause its possessors to be feared ; wealth, 
to be envied ; learning, to be admired ; and beauty, to 
be flattered ; but it is genuine goodness alone that 
can gain the heart." " For scarcely for a righteous 
man will one die ; yet peradventure for a good man 
some would even dare to die." But where are we 
now, and what do we see in the Lord Jesus ? Even 
his giving to this man his company serves to display 
a little of his character ; and to rectify the mistake of 
some of his followers. The Pharisees were his bitterest 



THE PENITENT SINNER. 181 

enemies. They did not even allow his mission as a 
prophet. Simon, therefore, asks him to his house, 
only to gratify his friends and acquaintances, or to 
indulge his own curiosity, or to gain reputation by 
having so extraordinary an individual to be his guest. 
Yet our Saviour, though he knew this, accepts the 
invitation ; for " he went about doing good ;" not 
only embracing, but seeking and sanctifying all op- 
portunities of diffusing instruction, pleasure, and 
profit. 

But see the benign attention he pays to this woman, 
and the kind defence he makes in her behalf Had 
she touched Simon, he would have been filled with 
horror, and have exclaimed^ " Stand by thj'self, come 
not near me, I am holier than thou." This is what 
he wishes our Saviour to have done. But he is 
mistaken in his character ; he is perfectly ignorant of 
the being he entertains. 

It had been said, long before, in prophecy, " Thou 
art fairer than the children of men : grace is poured 
into thy lips." " He shall come down like rain upon 
the mown gi'ass ; as showers that water the earth." 
" He shall not strive, nor cry ; neither shall any man 
hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he 
not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he 
send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name 
shall the Gentiles trust." Who embodied these rep- 
resentations? He who "saw the multitude, and had 
compassion upon them, because they were as sheep 
having no shepherd." He who said, " Come unto 
me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will 
give you rest." He who said, " I came not to call 



182 LECTURE XII. 

the rigliteous, but sinners to repentance." '' The Son 
of Man is come to seek and to save that which was 
lost." He who said to the woman taken in adulter j^ 
and turned over by her merciless fellow-sinners to his 
judgment, " Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin 
no more." He who, in a voice softer than the breath 
of heaven, said to this woman, " Thy sins are forgiven 
thee ; go in peace." 

Thirdly^ We learn from it, that we should consider 
none of our fellow-creatures as entirely abandoned. 

While there is life, there is hope : 

And while the lamp holds out to burn, 
The vilest sinner may return. 

We gTant' that there are some for whom we feel, 
and ought to feel great alarm. There are some who 
seem to have sinned away everything like conscience ; 
and to have gone such lengths in wickedness, that 
only a^ divine arm can reach them. But let us re- 
member there is such an arm.' And what this arm 
can do is not left for conjecture to determine. We 
can appeal to facts. We know what it can do, from 
what it has done ; for with him " there is no vari- 
ableness, neither shadow of turning:" "his hand is 
not shortened, that it cannot save, neither his ear 
heavy, that it cannot hear." 

Think of this, ye parents, who, after all your pray- 
ers, and efforts, and tears, see your children v/alking 
the downward road. Think of this, ye ministers, 
who, after preaching for twenty years, see no religious 
movement among many of your gospel-hardened 
hearers. " God is able of these stones to raise up 



THE PENITENT SINNER. 183 

children unto Abraham." How often, at the admis- 
sion of members, has a church exclaimed, " Who 
hath begotten me these? These, where have they 
been?" 

But, you say, such a character is so unlikely. 
"What ! more unlikely than Manasseh, that son of a 
pious father, who had withstood all the influences of a 
good education ; who had become an idolater, a ne- 
cromancer, a bloody murderer? Yet, "in his afflic- 
tion, he sought the Lord God of his fathers, and he 
was found of him." Had you seen Saul of Tarsus 
at the stoning of Stephen, holding the raiment of 
them that slew him, and afterwards haling men and 
women to prison, how little could you have expected 
to see him a disciple, a preacher, an apostle, a martyr. 
'' I was," says he, "a blasphemer, a persecutor, and 
injurioiis, but I obtained mercy. For this cause I 
obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might 
show forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them 
who shall hereafter believe on him to life everlast- 
ing." 

Fourthly^ We learn from it, that no distressed con- 
science should despair. 

This article is distinguishable from the former. 
That was designed to keep us from relaxing in our 
endeavors to save others ; this is intended to prevent 
all discouraging conclusions with regard to ourselves. 

I know that fear follows guilt. I know that 
when you think of returning to God, conscience may 
forebode his rejecting you. It requires " strong con- 
solation" to bear up the mind under a sense of 
numberless and heinous transgressions, and to enter 



184 LECTUEE XII. 

the presence of him whom we have so often and so 
dreadfully provoked. But there is "strong consola- 
tion" for those that are " fleeing for refuge to lay hold 
upon the hope set before them." " As I live," said 
the Lord, by the prophet Ezekiel, " I have no pleas- 
ure in the death of the wicked ; but that the wicked 
turn from his way and live." And he says it here, 
" See what manner of sinners my mercy can forgive, 
and my grace restore." " Let the wicked forsake 
his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts ; and 
let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy 
upon him ; . and to our God, for he will abundantly 
pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 
neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are 
my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts 
than your thoughts." 

May his goodness lead you to repentance. May 
the exceeding riches of his grace encourage your ap- 
plication to him. guard against despair. The 
gate of life stands open, but despair shuts it, locks it, 
and throws the key into the bottomless pit. De- 
spair, by making us believe that means are useless, 
keeps us from using them ; and thus our recovery is 
rendered impossible, because deemed unattainable. 
Hope is the source of all exertion. Hope melts me. 
Hope draws me, draws me to his feet. — 

Should worlds conspire to drive me thence, 
Moveless and firm this heart shall lie ; 

Resolved, for that's my last defence, 
If I must perish, there to die. 



THE PENITENT SINNER. 185 

Finally^ We learn from it that our Gratitude will 
he influenced hy a sense of our ohligations. 

This our Saviour brings Simon to acknowledge. 
" There was a certain creditor who had two debtors : 
the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 
And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave 
them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will 
love him most ? Simon answered and said, I suppose 
that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto 
him, Thou hast rightly judged." By this principle 
he accounts for the indifference of the Pharisee, and 
the zeal of the woman. " I entered into thine house, 
thou gavest me no water for my feet : but she hath 
washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the 
hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss : but 
this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased 
to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not 
anoint ; but this woman hath anointed my feet with 
ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee. Her sins, 
which are many, are forgiven ; for she loved much." 
Not meaning that her love was the cause of the 
pardon, but the consequence. As if he had said, 
" She would not have felt such ardor, and displayed 
such devotedness, had she not been sensible how 
much she was indebted to my goodness." " But to 
whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little." A 
slight acknowledgment will be deemed sufficient for a 
trifling favor. 

Why are many so cold and lifeless in their regards 
to the Eedeemer of Sinners ? They are hardly con- 
vinced that they are sinners. In reality there are 
no little offenders. But many suppose their offences 



186 LECTUEE XII. 

to be small, especially wlien they compare tlaemselves 
with viler characters. Now in proportion as we view 
ourselves to be innocent, shall we feel our need of 
divine grace diminished. If we imagine we can 
make any amends to the law we have transgressed, 
by our repentance and reformation, so much we shall 
detract from the obligation we are under to the aton- 
ing sacrifice of Christ. If T\^e can establish a right- 
eousness of our own, we shall not submit ourselves to 
the righteousness which is of God ; nor, of course, 
be thankful for its provision and imputation. " The 
whole need not a physician, but they that are sick ;'• 
and they who feel themselves most attached to him, 
and who think they can never say enough in his 
praise, are not those whom he has saved from an 
ordinary pain or infirmity, but those who have been 
rescued by him from the most desperate malady, and 
from the jaws of death. 

Here, then, we see of what importance it is to 
entertain proper views of the fall, of the evil of sin, 
of the depravity of our nature, and of the misery we 
have deserved. These views are often censured as 
gloomy and injurious ; but it would be easy to prove 
not only how true they are, but how important they 
are, even on a practical account, both to awaken the 
conscience to seek pardon, and also to excite to grati- 
tude and obedience when it is attained. 

It must be admitted that there are degrees in sin. 
Our Saviour compares some sins to motes, and others 
to beams ; some to gnats, and others' to camels. He 
here allows that one contracts a larger debt than 
another ; and represents that he who has had a debt 



THE PENITENT SINNER. 187 

of five liiindred pence remitted, should feel more than 
the man who has had a debt of fifty pence. He who has 
been the greatest sinner should be the greatest saint. 

But here I would remark two things. 

First^ The greatest sinners are not always the 
grossest. Sin is to be judged of by its aggravations ; 
and its aggravations arise from the convictions and 
cautions, the means and motives which we have neg- 
lected and contemned. Perhaps some of the guiltiest 
individuals in our world are those who are decent 
in their conduct, but have enjoyed all the means of 
gTace from their infancy, and yet have been insensible 
under them ; who have constantly worshipped Grod, 
but have mocked him with a solemn sound upon a 
thoughtless tongue; who have heard the words of 
eternal life, and trampled them under foot. 

Secondly^ All those who are taught of God see 
enough in themselves to make them admire the free- 
ness and fulness of that grace which has saved them. 
They have seen only the lives of others ; but as to 
themselves, they have looked into their own hearts, 
and have found theni to be " deceitful above all 
things, and desperately v/icked." They cannot judge 
the motives of others, but they have examined their 
own. They know not what excuses others may be 
able to plead, while -they acknowledge that they have 
no cloak for their sin. They compare themselves 
with that law, the spirituality of which they are now 
enlightened to see. What wonder, therefore, that, if 
less vicious than others, they should yet see them- 
selves to be more sinful ; and, in proportion as they 



188 LECTUEE XII. 

hope in his mercy, ask, with an emphasis peculiar to 
themselves, " What shall I render unto the Lord for 
all his benefits towards me ?" " Lord what wilt thou 
have me to do ?" 

Great King of Grace, my heart subdue ; 
I would be led in triumph too, 
A willing captive to my Lord, 
And sing the victories of his word. 



LECTURE XIIL 

THE WOMAN OF SAMAEIA. 

PART I. 

There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water : Jesus saith unto 
her, Give me to drink. — John, iv. 7. 

It is very pleasant and profitable to follow onr Lord 
and Saviour in his career of mercj : to contemplate 
his power under the direction of his goodness; to 
behold him feeding a hungry multitude upon the 
ground, opening the eyes of the blind, causiag the deaf 
to hear and the dumb to speak; here, raising from 
the grave a dead brother, and restoring him to his 
weeping sisters ; and there, calling back from the dead 
an only son, and delivering him to his widowed mother. 
And yet, if we are like-minded with angels, who " rejoice 
over one sinner that repenteth," we shall feel ourselves 
stni more strongi}^ and delightfully attracted to the 
contemplation of the wonders of divine grace, in which 
we behold him accomplishing spiritual cures, quicken- 
ing those " who were dead in trespasses and sins," and 
from the ruins of the fall producing " eternal excel- 
lencies, the joy of many generations." 



190 liECTUEE XIII. 

We now enter on a passage of sacred history, 
recorded with singular fulness and minuteness. It 
relates the conversion of a woman, previously vile and 
infamous ; and whose change, no less remarkable than 
divine, serves to verify and illustrate the language of 
Isaiah ;" "Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir 
tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle 
tree : and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an 
everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." 

Our Lord was now journeying, to escape the envy 
and malice of the Pharisees ; for " his hour was not 
yet come ;" and he would give us an example of his 
own doctrine, '^ when they persecute you in one city, 
flee ye unto another." We may change our residence, 
though we must never change our religion. We are 
not called to suffer, Avhen we may avoid it without sin. 
Courage is not rashness, but wise and useful firmness 
and resolution. 

In going from Judea into Galilee, Samaria lay in 
the direction of his road ; it was therefore necessary 
for him to pass throiigh it. He soon reached one of 
their cities, here called Sychar, but formerly, Sychem, 
or Shechem. The place is often mentioned in the 
Scriptures. Here Joshua assembled the tribes of Israel 
before his death, and made his solemn appeal. Here 
Dinah roved, and by her folly occasioned the destruc- 
tion of the inhabitants. Yery near it was the parcel 
of ground which Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Here 
also was Jacob's well ; a well which he probably digged, 
but certainly made use of. 

As people are always struck with antiquity, this 
well must have been an object of great curiosity, and 



THE W0MA2s^ OF SAMAEIA. 191 

would have awakened many reflections in the mind of 
an intelligent traveller. How many empires had risen 
and fallen in succession, while this fountain had re- 
mained the same. How many generations were now 
mouldered to dust, who had been refreshed by its 
cooling suiDplies. Though every production here is 
doomed to perish, yet many things, compared with 
man, are durable and permanent. Cultivation rapidly 
passes from hand to hand, but the earth abideth for 
ever. A man plants a tree, his sons soon behold it 
growing towards maturity, and some of their remote 
descendants may see it begin to wither and decay. 
But " what is our life ? A vapor, that appeareth for 
a little time, and then vanisheth away." 

We are prone to overrate some things, and to over- 
look others. Many acliievements which once drew 
ihe attention and admiration of thousands, and which 
had occasioned an enormous expenditure of wealth and 
labor, were of little importance or utility compared 
with this homely well, which a few rude hands had 
digged, and vrhich was destined to survive them all. 
But the event, which reflects the highest honor ujoon 
it, and which will render it interesting, not only to 
the end of time, but through all eternity, was j^et to 
come. It was to be dignified with the presence of 
such a visitor as, in the course of two thousand j^ears, 
had never approached it before. It was to afford rest 
and refreshment to the Lord of life and glory. And 
it was to witness the conversion of one poor sinner, 
who by her testimony would be the means of con- 
verting numbers more. 

" Jesus being wearied with his journey, sat thus 



192 LECTUEE XIII. 

on the well." His languor and fatigue will not appear 
at all wonderful, wten we consider three things. 

First^ That he was truly, though not only, a man. 
"The Word was made flesh." He was therefore a 
partaker of all the infirmities of human nature. He 
feared ; he was hungry and thirsty ; he was susceptible 
of lassitude, and required repose to renew his strength. 

Secondly^ The manner of his travelling: for as ''he 
went about doing good," so he did this on foot. We 
read only once of his riding; and that was on a 
borrowed beast, " an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." 

Thirdly^ The season : it was the very heat of the 
day; being high noon. The Evangelist expressly 
remarks that "it was about the sixth hour." 

But had he really no more in view, by pausing and 
reposing here, than bodily ease and refreshment? 
Yes; here the good shepherd was searching for a 
strayed sheep ; and he knew where to find it, and 
how to bring it into his fold. He was here to ex- 
emplify words which he had uttered prophetically ages 
before ; "I am sought of them that asked not for me ; 
I am found of them that sought me not : I said, 
Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not 
called by my name." Here he was to prove that his 
mercy is preventing, as well as free ; and that how- 
ever far we go back, we shall always find him there 
previously, waiting to be gracious, and saying, " Come, 
for all things are now ready." Here he was to show 
us what great events spring out of apparently little 
and trifling circumstances ; because he is the master 
of circumstances, appoints them, disposes them, and 
renders them effective. 



THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 193 

All was casual as to the woman lierself. She 
dreamed of nothing more than returning with her 
pitcher of water. But our Lord saw the end from 
the beginning ; and beheld her returning, possessed 
of heavenly treasure, a rejoicing Christian, a herald of 
salvation. 

Though this woman was a sinner, her coming 
forth to draw water herself, was commendable ; and 
there are some who have even taken advantage of 
this to remark, that though " the gifts and calHng of 
God" are as much without desert as they are " with- 
out repentance," yet he has often conferred them in 
such a way as to countenance and encourage dili- 
gence and industry. It is the devil that meets with 
us when we are idle. The angel of the Lord 
appeared to the shepherds while they were keeping 
watch over their flocks by night. Matthew was 
called at the receipt of custom. Peter, and Andrew, 
his brother, were fishing ; James the son of Zebedee, 
and John, his brother, were mending their nets, when 
called by the Saviour. Elisha was ploughing when 
Elijah cast his mantle upon him, and said, " Follow 
me." Saul was seeking his father's asses when he 
met with Samuel, who anointed him king over Israel. 
Kebekah, Rachel, and Zipporah, all met with husbands, 
good husbands, extraordinary husbands, at the well's 
mouth, bearing their pitchers. But the woman of 
Samaria finds there, "the chief among ten thousand," 
the " altogether lovely," the " Lord of all ;" and ob- 
tains " the unsearchable riches of Christ." 

But let us see how our Saviour gains this woman ; 
for " he that winneth souls is wise." I love to con- 

9 



194 LECTUKE XIII. 

template his agency in the kingdom of nature ; to 
follow the windings of a river ; to stand in a field of 
corn ; to walk in a garden ; to see him making his 
sun to rise, and his rain to descend ; bringing forth 
the beauties of spring, and the treasures of summer ; 
doing everything, and yet seeming to do nothing; 
doing all things, and doing all things well. 

But, Oh ! to attend him when he goes to get 
possession of a soul ! He knows his aim. He is sure 
of his end. See with what calmness and self-possess- 
ion he moves. He is doing a great work, but with- 
out effort, without noise. Here is no strong wind 
rending the mountains, no earthquake, no fire ; 
but " a still small voice ;" all is natural, yet di- 
vine. 

How favorable the season ! ''his disciples were 
gone away into the city, to buy meat." How un- 
suitable would company have been in a case like this. 
There is business that can only be transacted between 
God and the soul. How often does religion take its 
rise from solitude. How seldom does the Saviour 
reveal himself in a crowd. Creatures die ; friends 
withdraw ; sickness sends us in from the world, and 
lays us upon a bed of languishing — whatever be the 
cause — how often, in the first interview, do we meet 
alone, and feel a heart's bitterness known only to 
ourselves, and a joy that strangers intermeddle not 
with. 

How easy, how simple the circumstances that 
commenced the transactions here ! An application 
for a draught of water, really necessary to quench 
his thirst, was designed to engage her in a conver- 



THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 195 

sation, which, rising from things seen and tem- 
poral, should instruct her in those things that 
are not seen, and eternal For when he asks, it 
is with a view to give, rather than to receive. He 
requires our hearts ; but it is to enhghten them, 
to renew them, to give them rest. He could dis- 
pense with our services ; but he demands them for 
our good, to improve us, and to honor us. He has 
a right to exact, but he condescends to beg; and 
this is to try our dispositions, and to insure our 
reward. Hence he conceals himself in events, in 
circumstances, in characters. We are not aware that 
in supporting such a cause, that in relieving such a 
distressed individual, we are succoring hiin. Did he 
appear in his sovereignty and glory, we could not 
refuse ; and our love to the Gospel, or our love to our 
neighbor, could not be known. And yet he will 
say hereafter; "/ was thirsty and ye gave me drink ; 
for inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of 
these my brethren, ye did it unto me." 

The woman, perceiving by his dress, or by his 
dialect, that her petitioner was not one of her own 
nation, answers, " How is it that thou, being a Jew, 
askest drink of me, who am a woman of Samaria ? 
for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans." 
It is unnecessary to dwell on the causes of this 
aversion in the Jews to the Samaritans ; such as their 
early mixture of idolatry and superstition ; the injuri- 
ous manner in which they had treated the Jews, 
after the return from the Babylonish captivity ; their 
profaning the priesthood, and worshipping the golden 
calves ; and especially their building a temple which 



196 LECTUEE XIII. 

the J made the centre of their worship, in opposition 
to the temple at Jerusalem ; and the infamous offer 
which they made to Antiochus, of dedicating that 
temple to Jupiter, and admitting the rites of his 
pagan worship, at a time when the Jews were suffer- 
ing so much in defence of their religion. 

But it must have been a curious sight to have seen 
a Jew and a Samaritan meeting together in a narrow 
passage, each hissing " Touch me not ; stand bj thy- 
self; come not near me ; I am holier than thou." 

There have been many too much like them in all 
ages. And we may observe, that quarrels about religion 
are generally the most rancorous, because the passions 
are here urged on by principle ; and men imagine that 
by their fierce enmity, they do Grod service. And we 
often see that those sects and communities which have 
many points of resemblance, are more hostile to each 
other than those which differ in everything. But, on 
whichever side the truth may be, when zeal forbids 
the offices of civility and charity, we may be sure it is 
"the wrath of man," that "worketh not the righteous- 
ness of God ;" and if it be fire, it is not taken from 
God's altar, but " it is set on fire of hell." 

Knowing the disposition of the Jews, this woman 
supposed that our Saviour was like them. This was 
natural ; and we see how prone all are to deal in 
general suspicions and reflections ; not recollecting 
that general reflections are commonly unjust ; that in 
all professions, and in all bodies of men, there are some 
worthy exceptions ; that there may be found even in 
religious denominations which we are compelled to 
censure, some detained there who are wiser than their 



THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 197 

teachers, and better than their principles. Nothing 
can be worse, as a system, than Popery, yet there have 
been very good men in the Eomish church. 

Our Saviour does not impatiently reject her ; he 
does not expressly answer her question ; he does not 
renew his application ; but he kindly insinuates that 
she had an invaluable opportunity afforded her, and 
that if wise, she would make a proper use of it. " He 
answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift 
of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Grive me to 
drink ; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would 
have given thee living water." What a mass of 
heavenly intelligence does this answer contain. 

It teaches us, What he is in himself; " The gift 
of God ;" hy way of emphasis and distinction ; an 
" unspeakable gift;" a gift, the value of which neither 
the tongues of men, nor of angels, can express ; an 
infinite demonstration of divine love ; perfectly adapted 
to our wants, and fully adequate to their relief; a gift 
insuring and containing every other; for "He that 
spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us 
all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all 
things ?" " It pleased the Father that in him should 
all fulness dwell ;" and of his fulness are we to 
receive, and grace for grace." 

It teaches us. What he has to bestow ; " living 
water ;" the graces and comforts of the Holy Ghost ; 
all spiritual influences and blessings ; everything that 
can purify and refresh the soul. 

It teaches us, How we are to obtain this blessedness 
of him. "We must ask : nothing less is required, 
nothing more. This discovers our valuation of the 



198 LECTURE XIII. 

mercy ; endears it ; prepares us for tlie reception of 
it ; receives it by promise. " Blessed are they who 
do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they 
shall be filled." " The Lord is nigh unto all them 
that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.'' 
No instance can be found of a soul having been 
repulsed, who addressed him. He never " said unto 
the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain." 

It tea,ches us, The reason why men do not apply to 
Mm. It is because they do not know him. " If 
thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith 
to thee. Give me to drink ; thou wouldest have asked 
of him." Hence we see why ignorance is so injuri- 
ous. Hence it is said, '^ My people are destroyed for 
lack of knowledge." " These things will they do, be- 
cause they have not known the Father, nor me." "If 
thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, 
the things which belong unto thy peace ! but now 
they are hid from thine eyes." And thus the Gen- 
tiles are said to be "alienated from the life of God, 
through the ignorance that is in them, having the 
understanding darkened, and because of the blindness 
of their heart :" and " the god of this world" is said 
to have "blinded the minds of them who believe not, 
lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is 
the image of God, should shine unto them." 

It is in religion as it is in nature, the understand- 
ing sways the will and the affections. " Wisdom is 
the principal thing ;" therefore we are to "get wis- 
dom, and with all our getting to get understanding." 
The Apostle prays for the Ephesians, " That the God 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may 



THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 199 

give unto vou tlie spirit of wisdom and revelation in 
the knowledge of him : the eyes of yonr understand- 
ing being enlightened; that ye may know what is 
the hope of his calling." Till we see the evil of sin, 
we shall never abhor it, and mourn over it. Till we 
know Christ, we cannot desire him, depend upon him, 
apph' to him, rejoice in him. Till we know him, we 
can know nothing, feel nothing, possess nothing, 
enjo}^ nothing. 

And hence we see the difference between this 
woman and blind Bartimeus, on a similar occasion. 
Bartimeus was sitting by the wayside begging, when 
Jesus was passing by — but he knew that it was Jesus ; 
and therefore he cried, "Jesus, thou Son of David, 
have mercy on me." The multitude rebuked him, 
but he cried so much the more : "I can beg alms 
of others, but they cannot give me eyes. O help 
me to seek, and do not hinder me. This is my 
opportunity. He may never pass this way again. 
Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me! 
Lord, that I may receive my sight !" " And immedi- 
ately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the 
way." 

But this woman stands trifling, or cavilling about 
some dispute, or schism, between her and her neigh- 
bors ; and neglects the prize put into her hands, 
because she does not understand it. She knew not 
the day of her visitation. She had no suspicion that 
our Lord was anything more than he appeared. She 
took him for a poor Jew, travelling this way, tired, 
and asking refreshment; not knowing that he was 
the Son of God, who had come down from heaven to 



200 LECTUKE XIII. 

save perishing sinners, and had life and blessedness 
to bestow. Nothing was further from her thoughts 
than that "God had so loved the world, as to give 
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in 
him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 
Hence, nothing like prayer proceeded out of her 
mouth. 

" The natural man receiveth not the things of the 
Spirit of God ; for they are foolishness unto him : 
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually 
discerned." When our Saviour had said to Mcodemus, 
" Except a man be born again, he cannot see the 
kingdom of God ;" Nicodemus, taking naturally what 
our Saviour intended spiritually, "saith unto him, 
How can a man be born when he is old? can he 
enter the second time into his mother's womb, and 
be born ?" It was the same with this woman ; for, 
taking literally what he intended figuratively, she is 
at a loss to conceive how it could be possible for him 
to make good his promise of giving her living water, 
provided she had asked him. Thou canst not fetch 
it from this well, for "thou hast nothing to draw with, 
and the well is deep." Neither canst thou bring 
water superior to this from any other place : " Art thou 
greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, 
and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his 
cattle ?" What spring dost thou command ? ' ' Whence 
then hast thou that living water ?" 

To this our Saviour replies in language, not alto- 
gether figurative as before, but suited to lead her 
forwards by degrees. " Whose ver drinketh of this 
water shall thirst again : but whosoever drinketh of 



THE WOMAX OF SAMARIA. 201 

the Avater that I shall give him shall never thirst; but 
the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well 
of water springing np into everlasting life." Here is 
the difference between the water of this well, and 
that of which I speak. This water is good and 
refreshing in its kind ; it removes thirst ; but not for- 
ever; the thirst returns: it does not give constant 
satisfaction ; but mine does. When a man has once 
obtained this, it will be found a never-failing principle ; 
it will continue (such is the tendency and effusion of 
it) till it issues in a state of everlasting enjoyment in 
another world. 

What our Lord here says of the water of Sychar's 
well may be applied to everything earthly. There is 
no true satisfaction to be found in this world. " He 
that drinketh of this water shall thirst again." Every 
man desires happiness. This is his aim in every pur- 
suit. It is not money, it is not honor, that he seeks 
after ; but satisfaction by their means. Sin has not 
destroyed the natural capacity of the soul for happi- 
ness, but diverted it from the only object which is suffi- 
cient to render it happj^ ; so that now^, detached from 
his only centre and portion, he walks up and down in 
the world, destitute, afflicted, tormented ; seeking rest, 
and finding none. " The eye is not satisfied with see- 
ing, nor the ear filled vvitli hearing." He has seldom 
enough of these things in quantity ; but in quality 
there is always a deficiency. It is not in their power 
to fill the soul ; they were never designed for this 
purpose ; and if jovl look for that in them which God 
never intended them to afford, you are seeking the 
living among the dead ; and you resemble a man, who 

9* 



202 LECTUKE XIII. 

is running up and down in a dry place to find water, 
and increases his thirst, botli by tlie labor and the 
disappointment. 

But must he always go on, asking, " Who will show 
me any good?" Will no one direct him to a fountain 
of living waters ? The Saviour cries, " If any man 
thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." '' He that 
cometh to me shall never hunger ; and he that believeth 
on me shall never thirst." Yes ! Satisfaction is attaia- 
able, even in this world. What else mean these de- 
hghtful expressions ? " The Lord will satisfy thy soul 
in drought." " I will abundantly bless her provision : 
I will satisfy her poor with bread." "He satisfieth 
the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with good- 
ness." " They shall be abundantly satisfied with the 
fatness of thy house ; and thou shah make them drink 
of the river of thy pleasures." " My soul shall be 
satisfied as with marrow and fatness ; and my mouth 
shall praise thee with joyful hps." 

Hence the Christian can say, I have found what I 
was once seeking after in vain. I am no longer at 
a loss where to get rest or happiness. I have tried 
this water, of which the Saviour speaks ; and I find 
it can satisfy. I want nothing more.^ It has weaned 
me from the world ; and I no longer need prohibitions 
to keep me from its vanities and dissipations : 

My heart is satisfied at home ; 
The Lord my portion is. 

It has also enabled me to acquiesce in the will of 
Providence, with regard to my temporal concerns; 
" for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, there- 



THE WOMAN OF SAMAEIA. 203 

with to be content. I know both how to be abased, 



and I know how to abound ; everywhere and in all 
things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, 
both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things 
through Christ who strengtheneth me." 

He has now a source of happiness independent of 
the body and its diseases, the world and its vicissi- 
tudes, death and its triumphs : for it is perpetual ; 
and permanency adds bliss to bhss. He can now say, 
"I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor 
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things pres- 
ent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor 
any other creature, shall be able to separate us from 
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

They are " born of incorruptible seed, which liveth 
and abideth forever." This water is in them ; not a 
pool, not a reservoir, but a well ; ever sending forth 
streams ; " a well of water springing up into everlasting 
life" — such is the constant working, such is the infallible 
issue of it. Heaven is in it, in the principle. Grace 
and glory differ only in the degree. Grace is glory 
in the bud, and glory is grace in the flower. Grace 
is glory in the child, and glory is grace in the man. 
Grace is glory in the dawn, and glory is grace in the 
day. 

Here then we pause; reserving the remaining 
particulars for other opportunities. 

In reviewing what has come under our notice, let 
us conclude by observing ; How much there is in the 
Saviour to imitate and admire. 

Come, and let us learn to " be followers of him, as 
dear children." Did he make it his business " to 



204 LECTURE XIII. 

seek and to save that wliicli was lost? Let pity 
and zeal inspire us with the same concern, and urge 
us to the game endeavors. Did he render his jour- 
neys, and even his repose and refreshment, useful? 
Let us avail ourselves of every opportunity, and of 
every method, of " serving our generation, according 
to the will of God." Did he who '' preached 
righteousness in the great congregation," descend to 
instruct a single individual? And did he converse 
with one who was deemed a heretic, and a sinner; 
from whom a Pharisee would have turned away? 
Let us remember the value of one soul ; and abandon 
no one to whom we can have access. Did his "lips 
drop as a honey-comb;" and could he wisely and 
agreeably introduce religious conversation ? Learn 
the same art ; rise from present and common things, 
to those which are spiritual and heavenly. " Let no 
corrupt communication proceed out of your mouthy 
but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it 
may minister grace unto the hearers." " Walk in 
wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the 
time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned 
with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer 
every man." 

But, Oh ! contemplate the character of our Lord 
and Saviour; and see what a diversity of properties 
and excellences is to be found in him. What majesty ! 
what condescension ! How poor ! how rich ! Op- 
pressed with animal wants, and the source of all 
spiritual good; begging a cup of cold water, and 
promising eternal life ! Behold in him everything that 
can fix the mind ; everything that can fill the heart ; 



THE WOMAN OF SAMAKIA. 205 

everything tliat can raise our wonder ; everything 
that can satisfy our hope. But he is beyond the 
reach of representation, whatever relations or im-ages 
we employ. 

Nor earth, nor seas, nor sun, nor stars, 
Nor heaven his full resemblance bears ; 
His beauties we can never trace, 
Till we behold him face to face. 



LECTURE XIV, 

THE WOMAN OF SAMAEIA. 

PART II. 
Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. — John, iv. 26. 

I AM not only struck with the important trntlis of 
revelation, but also with the manner in which they 
are delivered. Here is nothing artificial, nothing 
labored. Everj^thing is natural and easy. Nothing 
appears to be studied, nothing designed ; but all 
seems accidentally to spring out of circumstances. 
Nothing can be found like a scheme of doctrine, 
systematically arranged, as in our " Bodies of Di- 
vinity ;" but histories and epistles, facts and reflec- 
tions, are thrown together in a beautiful irregularity ; 
and our Saviour, who spake as never man spake, 
teaches us, by suffering us to be "Urith him in the 
house, and in the road ; to hear his discourses and his 
remarks ; and to jndge, from what he said in particu- 
lar cases, what his sentiments are on all other sub- 
jects of the same kind. 

One of the most remarkable of all our Saviour^s 



THE WOMAN OF SAMAKIA. 207 

discourses, is the conversation lie had with the 
woman of Samaria. It is pecuharly interesting, 
whether we consider the effects resulting from it, or 
the topics on which it turns. It commences from a 
present object, and takes occasion, from the water of 
Sjchar's well, to inform the woman of that living 
water which Jesus had to communicate ; infinitely 
superior in its properties and use to that which he 
had requested. " He said unto her, Whosoever 
drinketh of this water shall thirst again : but whoso- 
ever drinketh of the water that I shall give him 
shall never thirst ; but the water that I shall give 
him shall be in him a well of water springing up 
into everlasting life." 

This left her mind in a state which it is not easy 
to determine. She immediately exclaimed, " Sir, 
give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come 
hither to draw." Did she say this in a way of pure 
banter ? "0 this is a thing indeed ! It would save 
me a deal of pain, never more to thirst ; and a deal of 
trouble never more to draw." Nothing is so offen- 
sive as treating divine subjects with ridicule. It does 
not follow that a thing is absurd, because it is for the 
time incomprehensible. A good man trembles at 
God's word. If, however, this was the case with 
this woman, it would be far more excusable in her 
than it would be in us, because she did not possess 
the same advantages. 

But let us hope that what she said was not ill- 
designed, but rather the language of ignorant won- 
der ; some impression having now been made upon 
her mind ; and that she began to suspect that some- 



208 LECTUKE XIV.' 

thing more was intended than was expressed. This 
seems to be unavoidable, from our Saviour's having 
connected the communication with " everlasting 
life." 

But our Lord saw that it was necessary to do 
something more ; and, therefore, he immediately ap- 
plies himself to convince and alarm her conscience. 
And this is the proper method of dealing with sinners. 
It is not likely that we shall prize the physician while 
we are whole ; or flee for refuge while we think we 
are safe. " The full soul loatheth an honeycomb ; 
but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet." 
A certain state of mind, therefore, is necessary, not 
to recommend us to Christ, but to recommend Christ 
to us ; and to enable us to understand the design, 
and feel the importance of his coming, work, and 
sufferings. 

And in bringing a man to this state, we may ob- 
serve that, commonly, some one particular sin, gross 
in its nature, and to which he has been addicted, is 
charged home upon the conscience. But though it 
begins, the conviction does not end here ; and the 
man is soon led to more general and more spiritual 
views of his own depravity ; till he discovers the 
natural root of all transgression, which is the heart; 
and sees it to be "deceitful above all things, and 
desperately wicked." 

But a broad surface is not likely to penetrate ; it 
must be pointed to enter. The indictment which 
arraigns this criminal, like every other, exhibits some 
specific charge ; and the man exclaims, " O my 
swearing, my lying, my Sabbath-breaking, my prayer- 



THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 209 

less life !" Thus Peter charged the Jews with 
crucifying the Lord of life and glory ; and " they 
were pricked in their heart, and said, Men and breth- 
ren, what shall we do ?" Thus Christ charged Saul 
with the sin in which he was then engaged ; " Why 
persecutest thou me?" And thus our Saviour here 
accuses this woman of the sin in which she was then 
living. " Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, 
and come hither. The woman answered and said, 
I have no husband;" wishing to impose upon our 
Saviour, as if she had always been single, or was 
now a widow. But out of her own mouth he con- 
demns her : " Thou hast well said, I have no husband ; 
for thou hast had ^ye husbands ; and he whom thou 
now hast is not thy husband : in that saidst thou 
truly." "We have no reason to believe she had 
buried so many husbands. It is probable she had 
eloped from some of them, or by her unchaste carriage 
constrained them to forsake her. However this may 
be, she was now living in criminal intercourse with 
one, to whom she was married unlawfully, while 
another was her proper husband ; or, which is more 
likely, to whom she was never married at all. How 
wise the expedient to bring her sin to her remem- 
brance. How mild the reproof How unanswerable 
the charge. 

It is easy to imagine her surprise at hearing this 
narrative of her past and present life ; and from a 
stranger too, one whom she had never seen before. 
But whatever inward confusion she feels, she does 
not attempt to deny the truth, or extenuate the guilt ; 
nor does she seem displeased with our Lord's freedom. 



210 LECTURE XIV. 

But she exclaims, " Sir, I perceive that ttou art a 
prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain ; 
and ye saj, that in Jerusalem is the place where men 
ought to worship." 

Two reasons may be assigned for her proposing 
this question so instantly and abruptly. It has been 
supposed, First^ that it was by way of diversion ; 
that, confounded by the discovery which had been 
made, and fearing more, she dexterously contrived in 
this manner to turn off the conversation to something 
more distant, and less personal. And it is no new 
thing for persons to endeavor to keep convictions 
from fastening upon their minds, instead of cherishing 
and strengthening them. Felix said, " Go thy way 
for this time ; when I have a convenient season, I 
will call for thee." Some have recourse to worldly 
dissipations to drown the voice of conscience. Some 
wretches drive away sorrow by drinking. But all 
such expedients will be found to fail in the end. The 
lion is only asleep ; by and by it will rise and roar 
with tenfold fary. There is but one way of obtain- 
ing peace : it is not by stifling convictions, but by 
suffering them to lead you to Christ, who has said, 
" Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy 
ladcD, and I will give you rest." 

But it has also been supposed. Secondly^ that her 
aim was to seize the present moment to gain informa- 
tion as to what was deemed important, and which 
she concluded this knowing one might afford. If so, 
she is an example worthy of imitation ; and shows 
us that when we are in the presence of those who 
can teach us, we should be concerned to learn ; pro- 



THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 211 

posing our doubts and difficulties ; always anxious to 
be set rigbt ; and " redeeming tbe time," that we 
may " not be unwise, but understanding what the 
will of the Lord is." 

With regard to the object of her inquiry, and 
which was the grand question that divided the two 
parties, our Saviour allows that the Jews had the ad- 
vantage of the Samaritans. He allows that Jerusalem 
was the place which Grod had chosen to put his name 
there ; that better notions of his perfections and 
pleasure prevailed among the Jews ; that to them were 
committed the divine oracles ; and that of them, 
as concerning the flesh, the Messiah was to come. 
It is his meaning, when he says, " Ye worship ye 
know not what : we know what we worship : for 
salvation is of the Jews." 

But he takes the opportunity to reduce the import- 
ance of the question, by observing that whatever 
stress had been laid on any of these external things, a 
dispensation was commencing which would lay all such 
distinctions aside. " Woman, believe me, the hour 
Cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor 
yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. The hour 
Cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall 
worship the Father in spirit and in truth ; for the 
Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a 
spirit ; and they that worship him must worship him 
in spirit and in truth." 

Herein two things are observable. 

Firsts That it should cool us, in many of our contests, 
to remember that the things we are contending about 
are of short duration ; and that while we are disputing 



212 LECTUEE XIY. 

they are vanishing away. There are " things which 
cannot be shaken, but must remain." Christian prin- 
ciples and blessings, concerning which the people of 
God agree, are permanent and eternal : but the hour 
Cometh when forms of church government, and modes 
of discipline, and ceremonies and usages, which now 
set us at variance, will be seen no more ; and if 
wonder and sorrow can enter heaven, we shall be 
surprised and grieved to think what an undue stress 
we laid on these things ; and that we differed more 
about the scaffolding which was to be taken down, 
than about the building which was to remain. The 
question hereafter will not be, with whom we wor- 
shipped, but whom we worshipped ; not where we 
worshipped, but how we worshipped. 

For, Secondly^ The best way to make up differences 
in little things, is to be zealous about great ones. To 
these, therefore, the Scripture always directs our 
regards ; knowing that if these supreme^ occupy the 
mind, we shall have neither time nor inclination for 
comparative trifling. The best way to soften, if not 
to harmonize the sprinkled and the dipped, would be 
for both of them to be more concerned to be baptized 
with the Holy Ghost, and largely to partake of his 
influences and comforts. Communicants at the Lord's 
table would not think much about sitting or kneeling, if 
only they were by faith showing forth the Lord's death. 
In proportion as our hearts are right towards God, 
we shall feel properly towards others ; pitiful, if they 
are in misery ; forgiving, if they have offended us ; 
candid, if they differ from us. 

" I feel," says the woman, " some hesitation. 



THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 213 

hardly know wlietlier wliat thou hast said upon this 
subject be true ; but one thing I know ; ' I know that 
Messias cometh, who is called Christ ; when he is come, 
he will tell us all things ;' deciding every dispute, and 
rectifying every mistake." 

What this woman says of our Saviour's appearance 
in the flesh, we may apply to his glorious return. 
" Once, in the end of the world, hath he appeared to 
put away sin by the sacrifice of himself And unto 
them that look for him, shall he appear the second time, 
without sin unto salvation." Much information he has 
given us already ; but much he has left in the dark, 
to try our faith, and to draw forth our desire. Some 
parts of his word are " hard to be understood :" many 
of the dispensations of his providence are inexplicable : 
but " what we know not now, we shall know hereafter.'' 
He is coming to explain. He is coming to " bring to 
light the hidden things of darkness, and to make mani- 
fest the counsels of the hearts ; and then shall every 
man have praise of God." 

Our Saviour now discloses himself, as the Messiah ; 
saying, " I that speak unto thee am he." Never had 
he before, to any one, so expressly revealed himself. 
And who is the honored individual to whom the dis- 
covery is made ? Caiaphas ? Any of the rulers ? 
of the Scribes ? of the Pharisees ? He " hides these 
things from the wise and prudent, and reveals them 
unto babes." He would not encourage sin, but he 
would tell us that the vilest need not despair : he 
would tell us that often " the last shall be first, and 
the first last." 

The woman was speaking of the Messiah, but little 



214 LECTUEE XIV. 

did slie imagine that she was speaking to him. But 
so it was. And our Lord is often with his people, 
when they are not aware of it ; and many are lament- 
ing his absence, and longing for his presence, when he 
is communing with them already. How little did the 
disciples going to Emmaus imagine that he, whose 
death they were deploring, was talking with them, 
when a stranger joined their company, and inquired 
why they were sad. How little did the disciples in 
the storm imagine, when they saw a spirit and cried 
out for fear, that it was their deliverer ; who imme- 
diately said unto them, " Be of good cheer ; it is I ; 
be not afraid." In his solitary flight, how little did 
Jacob ex]3ect to find the ladder, the angels, and God ; 
— but he exclaimed, " Surely the Lord is in this place. 
This is none other but the house of Grod, and this is 
the gate of heaven." 

If this woman had been told that the Messiah was 
come, she would have attached something very splen- 
did to him; and had she been told that she should 
some time or other find him, she never would have 
expected to meet him as a weary traveller, a beggar 
of a cup of cold water at a well. " His ways are 
not our ways." We can hardly think that in such a 
wreck of our fortune, in such a disappointment, in such 
a sickness, in such a distress of mind, in such a self- 
despair, he is there ; yet he it is that talketh with us. 

Here we must again suspend the thread of the 
history ; and, for the present, conclude with a few 
additional reflections. 

First^ Observe the Omniscience of our Lord; and bring 
it home to yourselves. It seems impossible to read 



THE WOMAN OF SAMAKIA. 215 

the Gospel, and not be convinced that to him all 
hearts are open, all desires known, and from him no 
secret is hid. Though he had never seen this woman 
before with his bodily eyes, he perfectly knew her 
history, and her character. And he knows yours. 
He sees all your actions, hears all your words, ob- 
serves all your thoughts, and the very " imaginations 
of your thoughts." And what you have forgotten he 
has not. It is all recorded in the book of his remem- 
brance ; and will hereafter be brought into judgment, 
before an assembled world : he will " tell you all things 
that ever you did," and your memory will be found 
an exact counterpart of its contents. 

It will be well if you learn this truth by a present 
process, however painful it may be : I mean, by a 
saving conviction of sin now. Some of you do know 
it by experience. You remember a time when " sin 
revived." You were " made to possess the iniquities 
of your youth." Forgotten transgressions were re- 
called. Things once deemed innocent appeared fla- 
grantly guilty. The Bible seemed ahve. His word 
was " quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two- 
edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder 
of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow ; and 
a discern er of the thoughts and intents of the heart." 
You were confident that it was the work of him, " in 
whose sight all creatures are manifest, and to whose 
eyes all things are naked and opened." Entering his 
house, you seemed laid open to the view of the 
preacher : who described your case as if he had been 
apprized of it by an invisible witness ; yea, you 
seemed " convinced of all, judged of all ; and so, the 



216 LECTURE XIV. 

secrets of your heart being made manifest, yon re- 
ported that Grod was in them of a truth." And did 
not the relief and consolation which he applied, equally 
persuade you that this friend is altogether acquainted 
with your desire and your wants ? 

Secondly^ Let us Worship the Lord^ '"''in the beauties 
of holiness:''^ and in order to this, never forget the 
information which our Saviour has given us. 

It would be an abuse of his meaning, were we to 
suppose that he intended to discountenance all public 
and external worship. "We are required to glorify 
God in our body, as well as in our spirit. Under a 
notion of the spirituality of divine worship, some have 
made no difference between the Sabbath and other 
days, and have abandoned the house of God, and all 
the means of grace. But the form is only condemned 
when it is unaccompanied with the power. While 
we are here, we need modes and places of worship ; 
and we ought to be very thankful that we have places 
in which to worship God. 

But let us guard against bigotry and superstition. 
Let us never exclaim with the Samaritans, or with 
th« Jews, " The temple of the Lord, the temple of 
the Lord, the temple of the Lord, are we." Let us 
never hmit the Holy One of Israel to temples made 
with hands. K our lot should be cast where we cannot 
enjoy public ordinances ; or if, by accident or sickness, 
we are withheld from them, let us not despair of 
meeting with him in the situations in which we are 
placed. "I will," says the Apostle, "that men pray 
everywhere :" and, says the poet, 

Where'er we seek thee, thou art found ; 
And every place is hallowed ground. 



THE WOMAN OF SAMAEIA. 217 

And guard also against formality. Never bring 
upon yourselves the reproach of "drawing near to 
God with your mouth, and honoring him with your 
lips, while your hearts are far from him." "He looks 
to the heart." It is sincerity, it is fervency, which he 
requires. They are " those who worship him in spirit 
and in truth, that he seeks to worship him." 

Thirdly^ Let us Inquire whether he has manifested 
himself to ics: I do not mean in dreams and visions, 
but by an illumination of the mind. He has been 
revealed to us; has he been revealed in us? Do 
we know him? If we do, he appears "fairer than 
the children of men." If we do, like this woman, 
we shall "show forth the praises of him who hath 
called us out of darkness into his marvellous light." 

10 



LECTURE IV. 

THE WOMAN OF SAMAKIA. 

PAET III. 

Come, see a man, who told me all things that ever I did: is not this 
the Christ ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. 

John, iv. 29, 80. 

Divine grace in the recovery of sinners is equally 
necessary and conspicuous. " By grace are we saved 
througli faith ; and that not of ourselves : it is the gift 
of God ; not of works, lest any man should boast." 

In the conversion of the woman of Samaria, we 
have an example of this grace :■ — ^an example 

First, of its Freeness ; — in selecting for its object a 
profligate creature, not only without her desert, but 
without her desire. 

Secondly, of its Sweetness ; — ^in having no recourse 
to violence or terror, but in adopting the most suitable, 
gentle, and insinuating means to convince and to 
soften her. 

Thirdly, of its Power ; — in changing her heart, and 
sanctifying her life : for if there be a disposition more 
unsusceptible of cure than others ; if there be a demon 



THE WOMAN OF SAMAEIA. 219 

which more than others, hope despaii^s of casting out, 
it is the spirit of impurity : yet she is " a new creature ; 
old things are passed aAvay ; behold all things are 
become new.'' 

Fourthly^ of its Effects ; — for here we see grace in 
its triumph, grace in its glory, ]^^^o sooner is she en- 
lightened, than she is inflamed ; no sooner is she a 
convert, than sho becomes a preacher. 

In the preceding Lecture we heard our Saviour explic- 
itly divulging himself to her as the Messiah, of whose 
coming she had expressed an expectation. But we 
are left to conjecture how she received this intelligence ; 
for no sooner had he said, " I that speak unto thee am 
he ;" than we are informed that the disciples returned, 
and as they drew near " marvelled that he talked with 
the woman : yet no man said. What seekest thou ? 
or. Why talkest thou with her" ? 

Here we may inquire, what it was that excited their 
surprise, or was likely to have offended them? Dr. 
Lightfoot has produced mam- (and some of them very 
absurd) passages, from the Talmud, and other Rabbin- 
ical writings, to prove that it was reckoned scandalous 
for a man of distinction to be seen talking publicly 
with a female. But, surely the disciples did not feel 
such a miserable prejudice as this ; nor could they be 
ignorant that the greatest of the Prophets had indulged 
themselves in female intercourse. 

Knowing the nature of their Lord's conversations, 
were they surprised that he should speak upon topics 
so sublime and mysterious to a poor ignorant creature, 
whom they supposed incapable of understanding him? 
We should wonder to see an accomplished statesman 



220 LECTURE XV. 

or philosoplier, stopping to talk witli a peasant, or a 
laborer upon the road ; but the disciples knew the 
condescension of the Saviour, and his ability to famil- 
iarize instruction to the meanest capacity. 

Had they any apprehension, then, of her infamy ? 
And, like the Pharisees, did they imagine that it was 
incompatible with the sanctity of his character, to hold 
intercourse with a person of abandoned reputation ? 

The case is still more probable and plain. They 
wondered at his being so friendly with a woman of 
Samaria ; "for the Jews had no dealings with the 
Samaritans," but viewed them as abhorred of God, and 
utterly beneath their notice. The disciples, as yet, 
had little acquaintance with the nature of the Messiah's 
kingdom, in which "there is neither Jew nor Grreek, 
neither bond nor free, neither male nor female ; for 
we are all one in Christ Jesus," 

However this may be, the character of the persons 
to whom our Saviour reveals himself, has always 
scandalized flesh and blood. At one time, it was 
asked by the Pharisees, " Have any of the rulers 
believed on him ? But this people who knoweth not 
the law are cursed." At another, " they murmured, 
saying, This man receiveth sinners^ and eateth with 
them." That the poor and unlearned should receive 
him, while the rich and the learned rejected him ; 
that persons, previously wicked and vile, should 
appear his followers, while those who were admired 
for their sanctity despised him; was a ground of 
offence which his enemies were always magnifying : 
and the same effect has followed from the same cause, 
ever since. But if the temper of Jesus be in us, we 



THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 221 

shall rather rejoice, that while these things are " hidden 
from the wise and prudent, they are revealed unto 
babes." " Because the foolishness of Grod is w*iser 
than men ; and the weakness of Grod is stronger than 
men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not 
many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not 
many noble, are called; but God hath chosen the 
foolish things of the world to confound the wise ; and 
God hath chosen the weak things of the world to con- 
found the things which are mighty ; and base things 
of the world, and things which are despised, hath God 
chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to 
nought things that are : that no flesh should glory in 
his presence." 

If the disciples were astonished at our Saviour's 
conversation with the woman, their behavior was 
dutiful and submissive ; they said nothing, but ac- 
quiesced in the rectitude of his procedure. And 
hence I would remark two things. 

The first regards the advice of Solomon, '' If thou 
hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth." 
A man should make conscience of his thoughts ; but 
words are worse than mere thoughts ; they dishonor 
God more; they show less fear, and less shame; 
they are a further effect of sin. Without words, 
thoughts say nothing. Eesolve we, therefore, with 
David, to "take heed to our ways, that we sin not 
with our tongue ;" and pray we with him, " Set a 
watch, Lord, before my mouth ; keep the door of 
my lips." 

The other is, to honor our Lord with our reverence 
and implicit confidence, when we meet with anything 



222 LECTUEE XV. 

in his conduct that seems inexplicable. We might 
much oftener understand him than we do, were it not 
for our prejudices, and pride, and worldly -minded- 
ness ; but when it is not in our power, when "his 
way is in the sea, and his path in deep waters, and 
his footsteps are not known, then it becomes us to be 
silent ; to remember that he is not bound to give us 
an account of any of his matters; to bow to those 
dispensations which we cannot comprehend; not 
charging him foolishly, but resting on the perfection 
of his character and his work ; assured that the Ju.dge 
of all the earth will do right; that he does not act 
arbitrarily, but wisely ; that he has reasons for what 
he is doing, which now satisfy him, and will, when 
developed, satisfy us. 

The woman was doubtless grieved to see the dis- 
ciples so near at hand, for by their return they broke 
off the conversation at the most interesting period; 
at the very moment that the Saviour had acknowl- 
edged himself to her. How soon are our sweetest 
interviews in this world marred or destroyed ! It is 
sweet to hold communion with saints, but sweeter still 
to have fellowship with the Saviour ; and in the de- 
votions of the temple, and in the solitude of the closet, 
we sometimes say. 

While such a scene of sacred joys, 
My raptured eyes and soul employs, 
Here I could sit and gaze away 
A long and evevlastiug day — 

With Peter, finding it "good to be here," we wish 
to "build tabernacles," and remain. But earth is not 
heaven. Sinful distractions, worldly connections, law- 



THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 223 

ful business and cares, invade and spoil our pleasures ; 
and make us long after a state, where none of these 
interruptions are possible, but where " we shall be 
forever with the Lord." 

Short as the interview was, our Saviour had effect- 
ually gained her heart. " The woman then left her 
waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith 
to the men. Come, see a man, who told me all things 
that ever I did : is not this the Christ ?" They are 
little circumstances, as it were casually dropped, that 
serve so much to characterize the sacred writers, and 
to charm and instruct their readers. Such, for in- 
stance, is the woman's leaving her waterpot behind 
her. Nothing could be more natural in the present 
state of her mind: and tliree reasons of this action 
may be given. 

First^ Perhaps it was from Kindness to our Lord, and 
his disciples. They had purchased food, and they were 
coming to sit down, to a plain repast ; and she leaves 
them the vessel, for their convenience, to draw and 
drink. She had in fact denied our Saviour when he 
asked her only for a draught, but now he is welcome 
to everything she has. 

I admire the simple manners and hospitality of 
earlier times. See Eebekah. She said to EHezer, 
'' Drink, my lord : and she hasted, and let down 
her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink." 
And ! ye, who have the will and not the power to 
do more, remember who has said, " Whosoever shall 
give to drink, unto one of these little ones, a cup of 
cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say 
unto you, he shall in nowise lose his reward." 



224 LECTUEE XV. 

Perliaps, Secondly^ she left it from Indifference, 
Wholly occupied now about greater things, she forgot 
her errand. The feelings of young converts are often 
very lively. The novelty and the importance of the 
objects newly presented to their minds, strike them 
so forcibly, that, considering human infirmity, it is 
not to be wondered at, that, for a season at least, they 
should be wholly engrossed by them, and become too 
careless of other things. And hence we can some- 
times excuse in them, what we should condemn in 
others. I say, excuse; for we do not justify igno- 
rance, and imprudence, and rashness. Eeligion is 
not designed to draw ns off from our callings, or to 
make us idle in them. A Christian is not to cast 
away his worldly property, but to be careful of what 
he has acquired ; in order to " provide things honest 
in the sight of all men," to support his family, and 
to relieve the distressed. Hence so many warnings 
are given against suretyship ; and hence our Saviour 
said to his disciples, after the miraculous plenty, 
" Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing 
be lost." But those who have found the pearl of 
great price will have far less regard to worldly things 
than before. They will " seek first the kingdom of 
God, and his righteousness ;" they will consider 
themselves as " strangers and pilgrims upon earth ;" 
their "moderation will be known unto all men ;" they 
will not be too much elated with success, or depressed 
by disappointment ; they will be willing to part with 
all, however dear, when the voice of God demands 
the sacrifice. 

Perhaps, Finally ; she left it as an Impediment to 



THE WOMAN OF SAMAKIA. 225 

her haste; willing to lose no time in iDearing liome 
the welcome intelligence. Female eagerness con- 
ceives and brings forth at once ; sees its object one 
instant, and darts towards it the next. Now, this 
being sanctified by divine grace, see how this woman 
acts ; see how she improves time. ISTo sooner is her 
opportunity of getting good over, than she seizes an 
opportunity of doing good. 

Five things may be remarked. 

First^ I admire her Benevolence. 

We often have occasion to observe that an earnest 
concern for the salvation of our own souls, will be 
always attended with a disinterested anxiety for the 
spiritual Avelfare of others. As soon as Christ had 
found Philip, "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith 
unto him. We have found him, of whom Moses in the 
law, and the Prophets did write." As soon as Saul 
of Tarsus knew Christ, "he straightway preached 
him in the synagogues, as the Son of God." David 
prays for a sense of divine forgiveness upon this very 
principle : " Eestore unto me the joy of thy salva- 
tion ; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will 
I teach transgressors thy ways ; and sinners shall be 
converted unto thee." And so it was with this 
woman. " I have found him ; and now, ! my 
neighbors, I cannot, I must not conceal it :" — some- 
thing like the lepers, who had met with plenty while 
their fellow-citizens were starving ; who " said one to 
another, We do not well : this day is a day of good 
tidings, and we hold our peace : if we tarry till the 
morning light, some mischief will come upon us : now 
therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's 
household." 

10* 



226 LECTURE XV. 

Secondly^ I admire her Zeal. 

See liow urgent slie is. Slie even begins witli a 
pressing invitation, " Come." And doubtless, that 
wMcli made ber so urgent, was not onlj tbe import- 
ance of tbe case, but tbe shortness and uncertainty 
of tbe season. She hoped, if they would accompany 
her immediately, to be able to get back before he left 
the well : " but/' says she, " you have not a moment 
to lose ; I know not how soon he may be gone ; and 
such an opportunity you may never enjoy again." 
Her fervor, therefore, was not without reason. And 
is ours ? "When we call upon you to " repent and 
believe the Glospel ;" when we urge you to "flee from 
the wrath to come ;" when, assuming the language 
of entreaty, we say, " Come, for all things are now 
ready ;" — have we nothing to justify earnestness ? 
Is not your danger imminent ? Are not your bodies 
sinking into the grave? Is not your life a vapor? 
May not " the things which belong to your peace " 
be suddenly " hid from your eyes" ? May not the 
bridge be down, and the door shut ? " Behold, now 
is the accepted time ; behold, now is the day of salva- 
tion." " Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, 
call ye upon him while he is near." 

Thirdly^ I admire her Wisdom. 

" Come, see a man Y\^ho told me all things that 
ever I did : is not this the Christ ?" " You all ac- 
knowledge that Messiah cometh, and that when he is 
come he will tell us all things. Let him come 
when he will, he cannot give a stronger proof of his 
supernatural knowledge than this man has given ; 
who has laid open my present condition, and all my 
past life." How striking, how convincing this appeal ! 



THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 227 

She determines notlimg : she on]y tells tliem what he 
has done, and leaves them to draw an inference which 
she deems unavoidable. She does not, you observe, 
mention his own declaration, that he was the Christ ; 
but refers to his doings. This was reasoning prop- 
erly ; as did our Lord himself upon other occasions ; 
" The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear 
witness of me." " If I had not done among them 
the works which none other man did, they had not 
had sin : but now they have no cloak for their sin." 
" How forcible are right words !" 

Fourthly^ I admire her Honesty. 

She does not say, he has told me everything per- 
taining to the worship of God ; but " all things that 
ever I did." Now, if a person knew your faults, yoa 
would wish to have him shunned. If a person were 
to come into your neighborhood, who knew many 
things to your disgrace and dishonor, you would 
hardly invite people to go to him : you would rather 
run him down, that little dependence might be placed 
upon his testimony. But confession of sin always 
accompanies saving conversion ; and this woman is 
not afraid to send her neighbors to one who knew 
all her vileness ; and could reveal it to them, as he 
had done to herself. 

Fifthly^ I admire her Courage. 

It was no small trial, for a plain and wicked wo- 
man to go openly, and address the inhabitants of the 
place where she lived, and was perhaps well known, 
upon a religious subject. I see the populace crowd- 
ing around her, as she passes from house to house, 
and from street to street. Some reproach her with 



228 LECTUEE XV. 

her former crimes : some mock her as usurping the 
teacher's office : some saj, she is beside herself. But 
she is not to be intimidated or diverted. 

It is good to see attention awakened ; a stir made 
even bj anything. Something will surely come of 
this. Some are astonished, and hardly know what to 
do. Some have their curiosity excited, and they 
wish to know more of this strange occurrence. Some 
have their affections moved, and they follow her, 
looking at her and weeping ; and exclaiming, " "Who 
can help feeling? There must be something in 
this : how earnest, how serious she appears ; and how 
well she argues — we will go." " Then they went 
out of the city, and came unto him." 

But their interview with our Saviour, and his 
beautiful discourse with his disciples, while they were 
on their way to him, over the fields, must be reserved 
for another Lecture. 

We now conclude, with observing ; 

1. What a real and wonderful change does conver- 
sion always accomjplish. Peculiar circumstances may 
attend the conversion of one, which are dispensed 
with in the conversion of another, but the substance 
is the same ; and there is the same necessity for it ; 
for what our Lord said to Nicodemus, he says to all ; 
" Ye must be born again." The work is not in all 
equally striking ; in some it is more gradual and in- 
sensible in the operation ; but there is always an 
effect which decides the state, and gives a new bias 
to the character ; and the subject of it is made to 
differ not only from others, but also from himself 

2. Divine grace is not an inoperative principle. 



THE WOMAN OF SAMAKIA. 229 

As the sun no sooner rises than it shines, and as fire 
is no sooner kindled than it burns, so grace acts as 
soon as it exists. Well did our Saviour say, that it 
is in us, "a well of water springing up into everlast- 
ing life." It is full of energy and power. We read 
of " the work of faith, the labor of love, the patience 
of hope :" to each of these graces, something active is 
ascribed. 

3. Behold an apology for what some would deem 
officiousness. How often do you hear, as soon as any 
attempt is made to bring people to seriousness ; 
" Pray do not intermeddle with us. Go to heaven 
your own way, and leave us to go.ours. Be as religious 
as you please, but keep your religion to yourselves." 
But this is enjoining on Christians an impossibility. 
"If these should hold their peace, the stones would 
immediately cry out." And as they cannot, so they 
ought not to refuse such office of love. Only a Cain 
will ask, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Certainly 
you are. Are you not bound, " as you have oppor- 
tunity, to do good unto all men" ? If we are re- 
quii^ed to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to heal 
the sick, are we not much more bound to save the 
soul in the day of the Lord Jesus ? Is not zeal im- 
portant in proportion to the value of its object ? Is 
time to be compared with eternity ? Is not charity 
to the soul, the soul of charity ? 

4. Be persuaded to resemble this woman. Endeav- 
or to difPase the savor of the Eedeemer's knowl- 
edge, and to bring souls to Christ. She was as un- 
qualified as you are to publish the Saviour : and she 
was under no greater obligation than youi^selves. 



230 LECTURE XV. 

Let me tell you that you are all bound to preach. 
Christ; not by assuming the ministerial office, but 
'' as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." 
On a father it is incumbent to preach Christ to his 
children : on a master, to his servants ; on friends, to 
friends ; and on neighbors, to neighbors. 

It is absurd to complain of want of opportunities 
and means. Much is in your power ; much more than 
you are willing to allow. You may be useful by 
prayer, by example, by lovely tempers, by words fitly 
spoken. Where is the individual who may not be 
serviceable by inviting others, especial^ his own con- 
nections, to those means of grace which he has found 
a blessing to himself? Even by a single attendance 
on a gospel ministry, prejudices may be removed, and 
some serious impressions made: '^ faith cometh by 
hearing, and hearing by the word of Grod." Thus 
Cornelius called together his kinsmen and friends, 
when the Apostle Peter was coming to tell him words 
by which he was to be saved. And this shall be the 
case when the glory of the Gospel shall revive, and the 
knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth. " Many 
people shall go and say. Come ye, and let us go up 
to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God 
of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, and we 
will walk in his paths : for out of Zion shall go forth 
the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." 

I fear we all stand condemned by the example of 
this woman. We have not sought occasions of doing 
good. We have neglected advantages when they have 
come in our wa}^ But while we are all guilty, shall 
I say there is one class on whom the censure falls 



THE WOMAN OF SAMAEIA. 231 

with peculiar force ? Let me explain myself. Have 
any of you been not only called by grace, but con- 
verted from a state of profligacy, like this poor 
wretcb ? You ought to be yexj zealously affected in 
the discharge of this duty. Your obligation is en- 
forced by gratitude ; for having had much forgiven, 
you should love much : and also by justice ; for as you 
have injui^ed others, 3'ou should proportionably labor 
to benefit them. How painful is the thought that 
some are now in hell, who owe their destination to 
your errors and vices ; but some are still in the land 
of the living. Oh ! hasten, like this woman ; and 
endeavor to bring back those whom, by your influ- 
ence or example, you have led astray. Go, and tell 
them what God has done for you.r souls. " I was 
once in the same state with jou, but the grace of God 
has dispelled the darkness that enveloped me, broken 
the chains that enslaved me, and subdued the passions 
and lusts which tormented me. Like you, I regarded 
as folly and madness the concerns of eternity, but now 
I see the wisdom of supremely regarding them. Like 
you, I thought that it was impossible to forsake sin, 
but now I find it delightful. Instead of disgust and 
misery, as I feared, I have found pleasure and peace. 
I no longer ask, ' "Who will show me any good ?' 
God is ni}^ father, death is my friend, heaven is my 
home ; and in a world full of changes, ' I am careful 
for nothing.' And ! that I could lay open my 
heart! 0! that, yon could feel what I feel, and see 
what I see !" 

Thus bear 3'our testimony. If you are not suc- 
cessful, your endeavors will be accepted. But '' if 



232 LECTUEE XVI. 

lie shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother." 
"Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and 
one convert him; let him know, that he who con- 
verteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save 
a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." 
And why may not you expect this incomparable re- 
ward ? Let this woman encourage you. Who knows 
how many she was the means of saving? Perhaps 
more than any one of the Apostles before the day of 
Pentecost. 



LECTURE XVL 

THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA, 

PAKT IV. 

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest ? 
behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields ; 
for they are white already to harvest. — John, iv. 35. 

What a surprising difference is there between 
human and divine agency. In the workmanship of 
man, a thousand movements are often necessary to 
produce one effect ; while in the work of Grod, a thou- 
sand effects spring from one movement. We know 
that an event occurs at such a time, and in such a 
place ; but who can determine how widely it will ex- 
tend its operation, or how long it will continue its 
influence? When Luther began to preach against 
indulgences, not an angel could imagine the entire 
result of consequences, intellectual, civil, moral, and 
religious. 

One thing we may observe, that in all God does 
for man, whether in Providence or in Grace, he -looks 
beyond the individual himself, and has a reference to 



234 LECTURE XVI. 

Others. We are blessed, in order that we may be bless- 
ings. What we receive, we are also to dispense. Are 
we rich ? We are to be " ready to distribute, willing to 
communicate." Are we enlightened ? We are to " arise, 
and shine." Are we comforted ? It is "that we may 
be able to comfort them who are in any trouble, by 
the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of 
Grod." Are we converted ? We are to " strengthen 
our brethren." 

As all the Lord's people are safe, so we believe that 
none of them are wholly useless. But it is in grace 
as it is in nature. Christians are called "the good 
seed of the kingdom." Drop a single grain of corn 
into the earth ; this will propagate, and produce many 
more ; and in time, a suf&ciency will be furnished to 
enrich all the neighboring fields. Thus, one Christian 
produces another ; till, in some cases, a whole district 
or community is evangelized ; and the words of Isaiah 
are accomplished ; "The wilderness and the solitary 
place shall be glad for them ; and the desert shall re- 
joice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abun- 
dantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the 
glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency 
of Carmel and Sharon ; they shall see the glory of the 
Lord, and the excellency of our Grod." 

And thus it was, in a measure, with this Samaritan 
woman, and her fellow-citizens. 

Our Saviour's conversation at the well properly 
consists of two parts : his discourse with the woman, 
in the absence of the disciples ; and his discourse with 
the disciples, in the absence of the woman. Both were 
admirably suited to the state and circumstances of the 



THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 235 

persons addressed ; and serve, also, to show hoAv mnch 
he redeemed the time, who never lived an idle hour, 
nor spoke an idle word. 

We have seen the woman withdraw, in order to 
invite her neighbors to come and see the Messiah, 
whom she herself had discovered. While she is en- 
gaged in persuading them, and in returning with them, 
onr Saviour had an opportunity to deliver an address 
to his disciples, in which he shows his own satisfaction 
in seeking and saving that which was lost, and stimu- 
lating them to similar zeal. They had just come back 
from the city, whither they had gone to buy meat ; and, 
knowing that their Master stood in need of refresh- 
ment, they spread it before him ; and perceiving that 
he did not seem disposed to partake of it, they pressed 
him : " they prayed him, saying. Master, eat." But 
even this was in vain. '' He said unto them, I have 
meat to eat that ye know not of." The disciples, mis- 
taking him concerning the meat as much as the woman 
had misunderstood him concerning the water, said 
among themselves, " Hath any man brought him ought 
to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do 
the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." 

Was his present refusal of food, from a loss or lack 
of appetite ? Had the pleasure he now enjoyed raised 
him above the sensation of hunger ? " We are fear- 
fully and wonderfully made ;" and as we know not 
fully the power the body has over the mind, so we 
know not the power the mind has over the body. 
Moses lived forty days and forty nights without food, 
when he communed mth God in Horeb ; and the same 
is recorded of Elijah. I know that in these instances 



236 LECTUEE XVI. 

there was something miraculous ; but I know also that, 
in many cases, when the mind has been very vigor- 
ously and intensely engaged, the body has been rendered 
insensible to outward impressions, and even unsus- 
ceptible of fatigue and pain. If a mother saw her 
child drowned ; and if, by the application of proper 
means, suspended animation were restored ; however 
hungry she was before, she would now feel httle 
inclination for food. She has food of another kind. 
" This her son was dead, and is alive again ; he was 
lost, and is found." 

Our Saviour was a partaker of human nature, and 
no comparison will bear a comparison with his. Need 
we wonder, therefore, that occupied as his mind now 
was in prayer and in praise, in meditation, in reflection 
on what was past, in expectation of what was future, 
and in surveying all the happy and glorious results ; 
■ — need we wonder that he should feel this indifference 
to food ? 

But his present refusal was to be instructive and 
exemplary. We will suppose that he still hungered, 
and could have eaten with a relish ; — but he would 
teach us a comparative indifference to things in them- 
selves lawful and necessary ; he would teach us self- 
denial in doing good ; he would teach us that we must 
have a keener appetite for our duty than even for our 
food. 

Abraham's servant,*though pressed, would not eat 
till he had told his errand. Samuel, though urged, 
would not sit down till he had anointed David. Our 
Lord, though entreated, would not partake of food till 
he had done his present work. " I have called," 



THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 237 

says he, "by my grace, that poor woman you saw 
leaving the well ; and man}^ of her neighbors, moved 
by her entreaties, are coming to receive the words of 
eternal life. Such business as this I long for more 
than food ; and I find it more reviving and refresh- 
ing." Is this our case ? " He that saith he abideth 
in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he 
walked." There are some who find the service of 
God to be rather their medicine than their meat. 
They take it, but with reluctance ; and they would 
gladly be excused, did they not fear disease and death. 
But, though food is necessary to life, no one thinks 
of eating from a sense of duty ; it is found our pleas- 
ure. So it is in religion, when the heart is right 
with Grod. Duties are no longer performed as tasks, 
but are enjoyed as privileges. Having " the same 
mind in them that was also in Christ Jesus," they are 
cheerful givers, they "receive the word with joy/' they 
" come before his presence with thanksgiving," they 
" call the sabbath a delight," and " none of his com- 
mandments are grievous." 

Two advantages, in particular, result from this dis- 
position. First, ^it renders our services well pleasing 
to God ; for he looketh to the heart ; and he will 
even pass by mistakes and imperfections in the execu- 
tion, when he finds that our "desire is to his name." 
" K there be first a wilHng mind, it is accepted accord- 
ing to that a man hath, and not according to that he 
hath not." " It is well that it was in thine heart." 

And, Secondly, this carries ue through difficulties 
and dangers, which would otherwise drive us back, 
or turn us aside. You see this in those professors of 



238 LECTUEE XVI. 

religion whose convictions and inclinations do not har- 
monize. After a while their heterodox hearts prove 
too much for their orthodox heads ; and inconsisten- 
cies are followed bj neglect and apostacj. But it is 
otherwise with those who " cleave unto the Lord with 
purpose of heart." Like Caleb, they " follow him 
fully." There is no pursuing worldly business with 
success, unless the heart be engaged in it ; and it is 
in religion, as it is in everything else ; only indeed 
the case is stronger, because the sacrifices required are 
infinitely greater. 

After expressing his own regard to the work that 
was given him to do, our Saviour stimulates his dis- 
ciples to similar zeal. For this purpose, he employs 
three arguments, all borrowed from husbandry. 

The First is taken from the Necessity for their 
Exertion. When the grain is ripe, the sickle must 
be thrust in. The crop will soon perish, unless 
gathered in and secured ; and as the season is short, 
and the consequences are important, every other con- 
cern is expected to give place to the reapers' toil. 
Now, so it is here. You say, '^ There are yet four 
months, and then cometh harvest ;" and you say well, 
for so it is. It does want so much time to the natural 
harvest ; but not to the spiritual, — the harvest of 
souls. This is now : this is arrived. " Lift up your 
eyes, and look on the fields ; for they are white 
already to harvest." Consider the dispositions of 
people in general ; and particularly, the multitude of 
Samaritans coming over yonder plain, and who are 
now within view. 

This is instructive, and teaches us that when atten- 



THE WOMAN OF SAMAKIA. 239 

tion is awakened, and numbers press to hear, it is a 
favorable opening, an opportunity wliich should 
excite and encourage diligence ; and that we should 
often lift up our eyes, and contemplate such appear- 
ances for this purpose ; watching the leadings of Prov- 
idence ; and suiting ourselves to present duty. 

The Second is taken from the Profitableness of their 
Eocertion. The reaper is well paid. An attempt to 
defraud him is mentioned as one of the most provok- 
ing sins. " Behold, the hire of the laborers Avho have 
reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by 
fraud, crieth : and the cries of them who have reaped 
are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth." 
The husbandman is more than commonly liberal at har- 
vest time. Even those who go by, say, " The blessing 
of the Lord be upon you : we bless you in the name 
of the Lord." '' He that reapeth, receiveth wages :" 
and ^^your labor shall not be in vain in the Lord." 

What the reaper gathers in, is valuable ; it is the 
staff of life. But the natural life is all that it can 
sustain and preserve ; while you labor for the ever- 
lasting salvation of precious souls, you "gather fruit 
unto life eternal." 

When the harvest is over a feast is provided, and 
all the servants partake of the festivity, who con- 
tributed in any way, whether by preparing the soil, or 
securing the produce. So here : " He that soweth 
and he that reapeth will rejoice together." The 
Lord's servants have varied in their capacities, offices, 
usefulness ; but all were employed in the same cause ; 
they all had a relation to each other ; and when they 
meet together there will be no envy, no contempt. 



240 LECTUEE XVI. 

blessed harmony ! Here^ one lays tlie foundation, 
and another builds the superstructure ; one plants, 
and another waters ; one sows, and another reaps ; 
" but all these, worketh that one and the self-same 
Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will ;" 
and in heaven, God will be " all in all." 

The Third is taken from the Facility of their Ex- 
ertion ; the work being prepared to their hands. There 
is a common saying, to the effect that men often obtain 
advantages for which others have toiled ; " One soweth, 
and another reapeth :" and "this," said the Saviour, "is 
true of you." " I sent you to reap that whereon ye 
bestowed no labor : other men labored, and ye are 
entered into their labors." He does not mean, in the 
present instance only, having put everything in a train 
for the conversion of the Samaritans in their absence, 
and without their concurrence or knowledge : but more 
generally ; many previous, but necessary parts of their 
work, were already accomplished ; they had the best, 
the richest part ; they had to gather in, and treasure up. 
But the Prophets, and other holy men; Moses, and 
John, whose of&ce it was to " prepare the way of the 
Lord ;" these, though they had little success them- 
selves, were by no means useless in the end. They 
raised an expectation of the Messiah, and described so 
fully his person, and his work, and his sufferings, that 
the Apostles only preached what they had prophesied. 
Conceive of these disciples going forth without any 
former revelation, without any previous dispensation, 
without the labors of those who had gone before 
them ; and you will find that their dif&culties would 
have been increased a hundred-fold. 



THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 241 

And this will apply to ns, still more strongly. 
How have tlie Apostles aided us? Yea, what advan- 
tages have we derived from uninspired men, since their 
days? What reason have we to bless God for their 
writings? How much labor and study have their 
toils and researches saved us? What ought we to 
feel for the translation of the Bible into our own 
tongue ; and for liberty to use it ? What do we owe 
to their sufferings ? They " resisted unto blood, 
striving against sin ;" and by the loss of their lives, 
procured for us civil and religious liberty. I pass 
over the numberless discoveries and improvements, of 
our predecessors, in the arts and sciences, which have 
contributed so exceedingly to our accommodation and 
comfort. Surely, " other men have labored, and we 
have entered into their labors." 

This suggests a twofold ^'eflection. Men may be 
useful, though their success may not appear till after 
their death : — this should encourage. The usefulness 
with which Ave are sometimes honored is more de- 
rived from others than from ourselves ; it is perhaps 
in answer to the prayers, or in consequence of the 
diligence of our predecessors : — this should humble. 

But from this discourse of our Lord addressed to 
his disciples, we return to the history. The woman 
and her attendants now draw near. As the result of 
her labor, " many of the Samaritans of that city 
believed on him, for the saying of the woman, who 
testified. He told me all that ever I did." 

" Faith Cometh by hearing, and hearing by the 
word of God." It is obvious that with all readiness 
of mind they received her testimony : they were open 



242 LECTUEE XVI. 

to conviction : and this easiness of belief, wliicli many 
would have condemned as weak credulity, is far more 
acceptable to God than those hesitations and cautions, 
which often deserve the name of cavillings, and which, 
under the pretence of honoring reason, really flow 
from the pride of unbelief. We must "receive the 
kingdom of Grod as a little child, or we can in nowise 
enter therein." 

Two evidences they gave of their faith. The one 
was that they " came unto him." The other was 
that, so far from being scandalized with the meanness 
of his condition and appearance^ " they besought him 
that he would tarry with them." How natural was 
this ! There is no greater proof of the reality of our 
conversion, than desires after the presence of Christ. 
Their request was founded on three principles, and 
each of them was an evidence of something good. 

First^ they were eager to give him entertainment ; 
and if any difference could arise among them it would 
be, who should have the honor and happiness to lodge 
him ? So it was with Lydia ; the opening of her door 
attended the opening of her heart ; and she said, " If 
ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come 
into my house, and abide there. And she constrained 
them." 

Secondly^ they wished to be instructed by him, 
more perfectly. It is the nature of grace to wish its 
increase. 

Thirdly^ they hoped that he would be useful to 
those of their families and of their neighbors who had 
been either unable or unwilling to come. 

And does he refuse them? Did he ever refuse 



THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 243 

the prayer of the destitute ? It is worthy of our re- 
mark, that he always answers prayer with regard to 
his presence, whether it be for its removal, or for its 
enjoyment. He had entered the country of the Gra- 
darenes, and had cured two demoniacs. This should 
have made the inhabitants thankful. But, though he 
had delivered their neighbors, he had destroyed their 
swine ; and therefore " they came and besought him 
to depart out of their coasts;" and he complied; he 
sailed to the other side of the lake. And thus, when 
he comes as a reprover, by friends, by ministers, by af- 
flictions, by conscience ; if, instead of forsaking your 
sins, you feel his rebukes irksome, and long to be free, 
he will withdraw, saying, " He is joined to idols ; let him 
alone." But when the disciples were going to Em- 
maus, having reached "the village, whither they went, 
he made as if he would have gone further ;" but when 
" they constrained him, saying. Abide with us ; for it 
is toward evening, and the day is far spent ; he went 
in to tarry with them." And thus he abode with the 
Samaritans " two days ;" two happy days, given in 
answer to prayer, and employed in usefulness. 

For we read, "Many more believed because of. 
his own word; and said unto the woman, Now we 
believe, not because of thy saying : for we have heard 
him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, 
the Saviour of the world." Those who had chosen 
to remain in the city, uninfluenced by the testimony 
of the woman, are convinced by the delaration of our 
Lord himself. All are not called at the same time, 
or by the same means. There is a remarkable diver- 
sity in the circumstances. 



244 LECTURE XVI. 

And even those who had believed in him for the 
saying of the woman, were more confimed and estab- 
lish by his own word ; for there are various de- 
grees in the divine life, and the confidence of the 
Christian grows by evidence. And there is such a 
thing as experience, or an acquaintance with divine 
things derived from trial, in addition to testimony, 
which is peculiarly satisfactory. We do not rest upon 
report only, not even the report of inspired men. 
We know assuredly, by actual trial, that "it is good 
to draw near to Grod;" that by "believing we enter 
into rest;" that while "in the world we have tribu- 
lation, in the Saviour we have peace:" we have "the 
witness in ourselves." And soon, faith of every kind 
will be lost in sight ; and we shall say with the Queen 
of Sheba, " It was a true report which I heard in 
mine own land : but now I have come, and mine eyes 
have seen, and, behold, the half was not told me." 

What a time of refreshing was this ! What a work 
of God was here ! Let me conclude by calling upon 
you to observe, who were the subjects of this work, 
and who was the instrument. 

First^ the subjects were Samaritans^ not Jews: and 
we may exclaim with our Lord, on another occasion, 
We " have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." 
" He came unto his own, and his own received him 
not." In no one of his own towns or villages, did he 
ever meet with such a reception as from these Sama- 
ritans, who were deemed by the Jews, " the filth and 
the ofifscouring of all things." " What shall we say 
then? That the Gentiles, who followed not after 
righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the 



THE WOMAN OF SAMAEIA. 246 

rigliteousness wTiicli is of faith. But Israel, wHcli 
followed after tlie law of rigliteousness, hath, not at- 
tained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? 
Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were 
by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that 
stumbling-stone : as it is written. Behold, I lay in 
Sion a stumbJing-stone and a rock of offence : and who- 
soever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." 

While the example of the Samaritans condemned 
the Jews, it served to show, how very contrary 
to human expectations the grace of the Gospel is ; 
so that often, the last are first, and the first last : 
and to afford an earnest and a pledge of the extension 
of divine grace to all nations, indiscriminately ; indi- 
cating that soon there was to be " no difference 
between the Jew and the Greek ; for the same Lord 
over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For 
whosever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall 
be saved." 

Secondly^ the instrument Avas, not a philosopher, 
not an Apostle armed with tongues and miracles, but 
a poor^ wicked^ hut converted woman. And "who 
hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his 
counsellor hath taught him" what means he shall 
employ to accomplish the purposes of his grace ? The 
weaker the instrument, the more does " the excel- 
lency of the power" ajDpear to be "of God." 
Hence, in the variety of instruments he employs, he 
often takes those that, to carnal apprehension, seem 
the most unfit and unlikely. When the people of 
Jericho found their cit}^ attacked with rams'-horns, 
instead of battering machines, they were no doubt 



246 LECTUEE XVI. 

ready to laugh tliem to scorn ; but, down went the 
walls ! The greatest of all the Apostles had been the 
greatest persecutor; and he " preached the faith that 
once he destroyed." How wonderful that this wo- 
man should not only be saved herself, but should 
become the means of saving many others ; coming to 
the well a sinner, and returning a preacher, and more 
successful than any of the Apostles before the day of 
Pentecost. 

In another view, there is often a suitableness in 
such instruments as these. " Having much forgiven, 
they love much." The change wrought in them is 
more striking and unquestionable than in others, and 
awakens inquiry. They can speak upon divine sub- 
jects from experience, and what comes from the heart 
is most likely to reach the heart. They can sympa- 
thize with such as are in spiritual distress, and " know 
how to speak a word in season." They can warn 
others of false confidences, and lead them to a Saviour, 
of whose grace they have not only heard, but tasted. 

What singular honor has been conferred upon 
this woman 1 She was useful not only by her active, 
but (if I may be allowed the expression) by her passive 
instrumentality. How many have been awakened, 
how many encouraged, how many edified, by reading, 
or by hearing the narrative of her conversion ! Oh ! 
that similar effects may be found to have resulted from 
that consideration of her history, which we now \^dth 
reluctance close. 



LECTURE XVII. 



LYDIA. 

And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where 
prayer was wont to be made ; and we sat down, and spake unto 
the women who resorted thither. And a certain woman named 
Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, who worshipped 
God, heard us : whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended 
unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was 
baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have 
judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and 
abide there. And she constrained us. — Acts, xvi. 13, 14, 15. 

History, it is said, is pliilosoplij teaching by ex- 
ample. All history is interesting and useful. It 
enlarges our views of Providence ; increases our 
acquaintance with human nature ; and saves us, by 
the experience of others, from many evils in our own. 

But the history of the church is far superior to 
that of the world. It regards the soul and eternit}', 
the wonders of the cross, the triumphs of the Gospel, 
and the principles which prepare Christians for all 
their "high calling of God in Christ Jesus." 

And yet no history has ever been written so ex- 
ceptionably, or has displayed so much of the prejudices 



248 LECTUKE XVII. 

and depravity of human nature. Hence, a powerful 
writer has been induced to pronounce it " one long- 
continued lie." 

But from this sweeping sentence, we are sure there 
is one portion of ecclesiastical history perfectly free. 
It is the Acts of the Apostles, written by Luke " the 
beloved physician," and under divine inspiration. To 
a passage of this history your attention is now called. 

" And on the Sabbath we went out of the city," 
(Philippi, the chief city of that part of Macedonia,) 
" by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made ; 
and we sat down, and spake unto the women who 
resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, 
a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, who wor- 
shipped Grod, heard us : whose heart the Lord opened, 
that she attended unto the things which were spoken of 
Paul. And when- she was baptized, and her house- 
hold, she besought us' saying. If ye have judged me 
to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and 
abide there. And she constrained us." 

Philippi was built by Phihp, the father of Alex- 
ander the Grreat. This rendered it noted from the 
beginning. In after times it became more famous, 
on account of two sanguinary battles which the 
Romans fought in its plains ; in one of which Julius 
Caesar vanquished Pompey, and in the other Augustus 
defeated Brutus and Cassius. 

'- Every battle of the warrior is with confused 
noise, and garments rolled in blood:" and it is pain- 
ful to review the scenes of misery and destruction 
which proclaim the exploits of the hero. But thy 
victories, O Jesus, are all thine own. Thou art the 



LYDIA. 249 

" Prince of Peace." Thy people are made " willing 
in tlie day of thy power ;" but they are subdued by 
love; and they are conquered only to be made "free 
indeed." 

In the words we have chosen as the subjects of 
this lecture, let us consider, 

I. The occasion. 
And II. The operation. 

I. The occasion is thus expressed. " On the 
Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, 
where prayer was wont to be made ; and we sat 
down, and spake unto the women who resorted 
thither." 

Observe, First^ The Season: '' the Sabbath." 

" The Sabbath was made for man :" — not indeed 
exclusively. It had a mercifal reference even to the 
brute creation ; and if the beasts were possessed of 
reason, they would be thankful for such .an appoint- 
ment. And who does not rejoice to hear the Father 
of alL his creatures say, " On the seventh day thou 
shalt rest, that thine ox and thine ass may rest," as 
well as thou ? 

But the Sabbath was peculiarly designed for man. 
It was intended to favor him corporeally, and as to 
his outward estate. In this view, the Sabbath may 
be of little value to some of you ; but it is otherwise 
with those who have to toil at the loom, to dig in 
the mine, to smite at the forge, and gain their daily 
bread by the sweat of their brow. Who could bear 
everlasting drudgery and fatigue ? 



260 LECTUKE XVII. 

But if the Sabbatli be valuable as it contributes to 
tbe relief, the cleanliness, and the health of the body ; 
it has higher claims on a moral ground, and as it 
regards the interests of the soul. It is almost the 
only time which the poor and laboring classes have 
for instruction and devotion ; and if the Sabbath were 
abolished, it is easy to see in what a state of igno- 
rance and barbarism the multitude would soon be 
found. 

This season is peculiarly "the accepted time, and 
the day of salvation." It is commonly the day in 
which the sinner is awakened, and brought to " seek 
those things that are above ;" and to " choose that 
good part, which shall not be taken away from him." 
And it is not only the season in which the greater 
part of the people of God are called by divine grace, 
but it is also that in which by " waiting upon Him, 
their strength is renewed," and they find Him "in 
his palaces for a refuge :" and though many are ready 
to say, "what a weariness is it to serve the Lord; 
when will the Sabbath be gone, that we may sell 
corn ?" they " call the Sabbath a delight, the holy 
of the Lord, honorable;" and find "a day in his 
courts better than a thousand." 

Observe Secondly^ The Place. " By a river side, 
where prayer was wont to be made." 

Grod seldom receives anything more than external 
and ceremonial homage, from those whose attachment 
to particular places leads them to exclaim, " the 
temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the 
temple of the Lord, are we." Nothing renders a 
people dear to Grod but their conformity to him ; and 



LYDIA. 251 

nothing makes a place of worsMp sacred but tlie 
divine presence. As to external holiness, all places 
are alike to liim who has said, "The heaven is my 
throne, and the earth is my footstool : where is the 
house that ye build unto me ? and where is the place 
of my rest ?" He " dwelleth not in temples made 
with hands." 

Where'er we seek him he is found, 
And every place is hallowed ground 

" I will," says the apostle, " that men pray every- 
where^ lifting up holy hands, without wrath and 
doubting." Nathanael found him under the -^g tree ; 
Paul, on board the ship, in the hurricane ; Jeremiah, 
in the dungeon ; and Jacob, when in exile, and with 
no building near him, exclaimed, " How dreadful is 
this place ! this is none other but the house of God, 
and this is the gate of heaven." 

Let those remember this who by the Providence 
of God are removed into a locality of spiritual desti- 
tution ; and those, also, who by accident or disease 
are deprived of temple privileges. The God of all 
grace is always near ; and in the house of mourning, 
or the lonely walk ; in a field of standing corn, or by 
a river side, can enable you to "see his power and 
glory so as you have seen him in the sanctuary T 

But you need not imagine that this company held 
their meeting abroad, in the open air. The Jews, 
besides their synagogues, had small houses in retired 
situations, where, free from noise and disturbance, 
they could enjoy occasional devotion, either alone, or 
with any of their connections. Because ©f the use 



252 LECTUEE XVII. 

to which they were appropriated, they were called 
Proseuchoe^ or places of prayer. To one of these our 
Saviour himself repaired, as when it is said " that he 
went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all 
night in prayer to Grod:" that is, as rendered by Dr. 
Campbell and others, " he continued all night in an 
oratory, or proseucha." 

Such a provision there was here, " by a river side ;" 
called a place " where prayer was wont to be made." 
And such a provision was a desirable and valuable 
privilege, where persons wished to indulge their 
feelings of devotion in reading, meditation, prayer, 
or pious discourse. By the power of association, the 
place would serve to impress the mind, while the end 
for which it was consecrated would tend to restrain 
their thoughts from diversion. 

And where there are no such express provisions to 
accommodate and excite, since the advantages are 
otherwise attainable, we wonder that Christians do not 
practise retirement more. It is in solitude that we 
gain the knowledge of ourselves, and are loosened 
from the influence of the ivorld, and find it " good 
to draw near to God," and (as an old writer says) 
" have God to ourselves." Had we resided at Phil- 
ippi, I trust we should have been often at the river 
side, not only as a scene of pleasant relaxation, but 
as a place " where prayer was wont to be made." 

Observe Thirdly^ The Company. " We sat down, 
and spake unto the Women who resorted thither." 
We do not read of any men, and perhaps there were 
none present. It has often been remarked that wo- 
men are ^ore numerous and more regular in attend- 



LYDIA. -253 

ance, in our public and social assemblies, tlian men : 
and tbougli (if they do possess and display a superior 
regard to divine things), we are far from intimating 
that their devotion is derived from them, yet there 
are, in their case, circumstances and advantages that 
materially befriend and promote it. Their sphere of 
action is less exposed to temptation; their natural 
susceptibility is greater; they are under more habitual 
restraints ; they are called to exercise more self-de- 
nial; and the vicissitudes through which they pass, 
and the perils they may endure, are adapted to awaken 
dependence upon God, and to revive and preserve 
thoughts of another world. 

And is it not surprising that women can ever 
countenance irreligion or infidelity? Is there a 
writer of this class that has ever done justic e to their 
claims? or that has ascribed to them any other 
honor than that which results from subjection and 
subserviency ? There is no book which females are 
so bound to regard and honor as the Scriptures. 
It is there alone that they appear not only as lovely, 
but as reasonable and immortal beings ; as " heirs 
together" with us "of the grace of life;" personally 
responsible; eminent in usefulness; and often pecu- 
liarly honored of God. 

Observe Fourthly^ The Preaching. " We sat down, 
and spake unto the women who resorted thither." 
We are not informed of the subject of their discourse ; 
but it is not difficult to conjecture what it was, since 
each of the speakers had "determined to know 
nothing save Jesus Christ and him crucified ;" and 
no other subject was ever honored as "the minis- 



254- LECTUEE XVII. 

tration of the spirit," and " tlie power of God to sal- 
vation." 

It is likely that this subject was never heard in 
that place before; and how was it received and 
treated? As all the audience were females, there 
was no violence or indecorum ; but it is probable 
that some wondered, and that others said, " we should 
like to hear again of this matter." We know not 
how many were present, but we only read of one who 
was made " wise unto salvation." Perhaps no ser- 
mon was ever useful to all the hearers. This was not 
the case even with Peter's sermon on the day of Pen- 
tecost; for while three thousand were "pricked in 
their heart," "some mocked:" and the reflection of 
the Apostle is as true as it is awful ; that while to 
some "we are the savor of life unto life," to others 
" we are the savor of death unto death." Much seed 
is sown ; but some falls " by the way side," and some 
"upon stony places," and some "among thorns;" 
while one-fourth only falls "into good ground;" and 
even this yields only in very unequal proportions. 

But this should not discourage us ; as. First, It 
will not be always so ; for " Thus saith the Lord of 
Hosts ; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten 
men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, 
even shalltake l^old of the skirt of him that is a Jew, 
saying, We will go with you ; for we have heard that 
God is with you." "His name shall endure forever: 
his name shall be continusd as long as the sun : and 
men shall be blessed in him : all nations shall call him 
blessed." And, Secondly, The salvation of one indi- 
vidual is of such unspeakable importance, that we are 



LYDIA. 255 

assured it causes ''joy in the presence of the angels 
of God ;" and success, though in only a single instance, 
should always be regarded as an abundant reward. 
"Know that he who converteth a sinner from the 
error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall 
hide a multitude of sins." 

From the Occasion^ let us pass to consider, 
II. The Opekation here accomplished. 

It was exemplified in the experience of Lydia. " A 
certain woman named Lydia, a seller of pm-ple, of the 
cit}- of Thyatu'a, who worshipped God, heard us : 
whose heart the Lord opened, and she attended unto 
the things which were spoken of Paul. And when 
she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, 
saying. If ye have judged me to be faithful to the 
Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And 
she constrained us." 

Several particulars are here mentioned concerning 
her, all of which are worthy of our notice, because 
they have the signature of the Holy Ghost stamped 
upon them. 

First^ Her Employment. She was a " seller of purple." 
She had, therefore, an occupation ; and was not one 
of those of whom the Apostle speaks ; " idle, wander- 
ing about from house to house ; and not only idle, 
but tattlers also, and busy-bodies, speaking things 
which they ought not." Trade is respectable, and 
as Bishop Sanderson remarks, " aothing is so disgrace- 
ful as beggary, and shabby gentility." The Jews al- 
ways gave their children a calling ; and they had among 



256 LECTUEE XVII. 

them a proverb, that ''he who* brings up a son with- 
out a trade, teaches him to steal." Seneca declared, 
" I had rather be sick, than be idle." And truly has 
Dr. Watts said, 

For Satan finds some mischief still, 
For idle hands to do. 

In' vain will any allege business as an excuse for 
irreligion; for they will hereafter find that persons, 
placed in the same circumstances, and liable to the 
same temptations with themselves, have been followers 
of the Lord Jesus, and " have not defiled their 
garments." 

The question has more than once been agitated, 
whether it is lawful for professors of religion to carry 
on businesses which have pride, not utility ; luxury, 
not necessity, for their object. Lydia does not appear 
to have relinquished her employment ; and if she 
continued it, she would doubtless expect encourage- 
ment from her fellow disciples ; such as Paul recom- 
mended to the Romans in behalf of Phoebe; "that 
ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and 
that ye assist her in whatsover business she hath need 
of you." But the first Christians used little purple ; 
they were commonly poor ; and the less that modern 
professors adorn themselves, the better. Their Lord 
and Saviour was but once attired in purple ; and then 
it was in mockery and scorn. 

Secondly^ The Place of her Extraction. She was 
" of the city of Thyatira." This was a great way 
from Philippi. How came she here? By bereave- 
ment ? or friendship ? or marriage ? or business ? 



LYDIA. 257 

We cannot determine this ; bnt here she now re- 
sided. And there are not many in this " vain life, 
which we spend as a shadow," who continue in one 
place. How few are there who die Avhere they were 
born; or even settle permanently where they were 
brought up. 

The events leading to their removal often seem 
very casual ; and they are so as to the individuals 
themselves ; but they are divinely known, arranged, 
and determined. The Lord fixes "the bounds of 
their habitation :" and with regard to his own people, 
the disposals of his Providence are in subserviency to 
the designs of his Grace. The man says, " I will go 
into such a city and buy, and sell, and get gain ;" 
and he goes ; and he finds there, though he never 
looked after it, " the pearl of great price." In his 
new situation, by curiosity, or example, or invitation, 
he is induced to hear "the joyful sound," and his feet 
are turned into the path of peace. Many, when they 
look back on life, will knovf, that had it not been for 
such or such an occurrence, they would have remained 
in places where they might have been corrupted and 
destroyed. It was a blessed change which brought 
Lydia from Thyatira to Phihppi. 

Thirdly^ Her Character. She "worshipped God." 
She is, therefore, very distinguishable from her fellow 
convert, whose case is recorded in the same chapter. 
It is more than probable that the jailer of Philippi 
^vas rude, profane, and vicious. He was cruel towards 
the Apostles, and was about to commit murder on 
himself But Lydia was a proselyte ; of moral de- 
portment, and amiable disposition. 



258 LEOTUKE XVII. 

The grace of God is infinitely free : and accord- 
ingly, we sometimes find it operating on individuals 
the most unlikely ; and even publicans and harlots 
enter into the kingdom of God before Scribes and 
Pharisees. So when the Apostle, writing to the Co- 
rinthians, enumerates a dreadful catalogue of sinners, 
he adds, "and such were some of you:" some^ but 
not all. No : some are called who were distinguished 
by previous moral and unblameable conduct. This 
seems to have been the case with many, if not all, of 
the twelve Apostles; this was the case with Corne- 
lius, and with Timothy ; and this, likewise, was the 
case with Lydia. 

Some talk as if they imagined they had a kind of 
advantage in having been converted and saved from 
a state of profligacy; especially as to decision and 
evidence. But sin is a bad business, and it is a mercy 
to have been preserved from it, in every kind and de- 
gree : and one peculiar advantage arises from having 
been moral before we became spiritual, namely, the 
avoiding of the injuries which sin does to others, by 
influence and exam^ple ; and which, when converted 
ourselves, we cannot repair, but must lament all our 
days. Let none, therefore, think the less of a work 
of grace on this account. Such a conversion may be 
less visible, but is not less real : indeed it is not 
less visible with regard to God, who looks to the heart. 

I do not like the notion that we are all to do 
something, or acquire something, as a condition of 
divine grace. All good is from God, the dawn as 
well as the day. But there is an order in the Lord's 
operations, so that he crowns grace with grace, and 



LYDIA. 259 

" to liim that liatli shall be given, and lie shall have 
more abundantl}^" " Because I said unto thee, I 
saw thee under the fig tree, belie vest thou ? thou 
shalt see greater things than these." " Then shall we 
know, if we follow on to know the Lord : his going 
forth is prepared as the morning ; and he shall come 
unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto 
the earth." 

Observe, therefore^ Fourthly^ Her Attendance. She 
" heard us ;" meaning, at this time and place : she 
was one of the present assembly. What induced her 
to be there on this occasion, whether invitation, or 
curiosity, or the working of conscience, we know not ; 
but she could say, as Abraham's servant did, " I being 
in the way, the Lord led me." It is well to be at 
the pool, " waiting for the troubling of the water." 
Whatever brings persons under the preaching of the 
word is to be viewed with thankfalness, as an encour- 
agement of hope: for "faith cometh by hearing, and 
hearing by the word of God:" and "blessed are the 
people that" (even in this sense) "know the joyful 
sound." Sin entered by the ear, and so does grace. 
Listening to the devil, we fell : hearkening unto 
God, we rise. " Hear, and your soul shall live." 

Fifthly^ The . Change she experienced. " Whose 
heart the Lord opened." What does this imply, but 
that her heart was before shut? — Shut, as ice shuts 
up the water that it cannot flow. — Shut, as the miser 
shuts up his bowels of compassion from the poor. — 
Shut, as a door is shut to keep the house from the 
entrance of the owner. This is our Saviour's own 
image : " Behold, I stand at the door, and knock : 



260 LECTURE XVII. 

if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will 
come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with 
me." 

The heart of man is naturally averse to religion ; 
and nothing, either pleasing or awfnl, can induce an 
attention to it : Yea, " the carnal mind is enmity 
against God ; for it is not subject to the law of Grod, 
neither indeed can be." But when the heart is 
opened, this aversion is removed ; our duty becomes 
our delight ; and we. are made " ready to every good 
work to do his will." 

But we here see not only the nature of this change, 
but the author of it : " whose heart the Lord opened." 
Yes, vvdiatever be the instrument, he is the agent. 
"It is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our 
eyes." The state of human nature is such as to re- 
quire the Almighty to " work in us, both to will and 
to do ;" and we are expressly informed, that every 
saved sinner is " his workmanship, created in Christ 
Jesus unto good works." An operation is required, 
to effect which is above the power of education, ex- 
ample, and moral suasion. But nothing is too hard 
for the Lord. He who made us knows our frame. 
He has immediate access to our spirits. The heart 
is under his dominion and agency ; and " what he 
has promised, he is able also to perform." " Then 
will I sprinkle clean water upon j^ou, and ye shall be 
clean ; from all your filthiness, and from all your 
idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I 
give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: 
and I will take away the stony heart out of your 
flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I 



LYDIA. 261 

will put my spirit within jou, and cause you to walk 
in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and 
do them." If this promise has been fulfilled in your 
happy experience, you will have no objection to give 
him the glory of the work. And if you are desirous 
of being the subjects of it, your hope here meets with 
every encouragement. " Ask," says he, " and it 
shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, 
and it shall be opened unto you." 

Finally, Observe the Evidences she gave of the 
Reality of her Conversion. They were three. Let 
us consider them. 

\st, Her regard to the divine teachings. " She at- 
tended unto the things which were spoken by Paul." 
K some are called without the direct and obvious 
instrumentality of the word of God, they always 
evince the divinity of their calling, by their attraction 
and attention to that word, as soon as they have it 
in their power. They are sure to love it, to read it, 
to hear it, and to " attend to the things which are 
spoken :" — to attend to them seriously, prayerfully, 
and with application to themselves. 

Thus did Lydia ; and, therefore. 

The 2c? evidence was. Her readiness to Dedicate 
herself entirely to the Lord, in a Profession of his Name. 
" She was baptized, and her household." 

A profession of religion, without the reality, is 
nothing ; but we are not only to he Christians, but to 
appear such " With the heart," indeed, " man be- 
lie veth unto righteousness ;" but " mth the mouth 
confession is made unto salvation." Experience is 
desirable and necessary; but our "light is to shine 



262 LECTUEE XVII. 

before men, tliat tliej may see our good works, and 
glorify our Father wlio is in heaven." Had the mar- 
tyrs concealed the truths they embraced, they could 
not have been witnesses for God, nor have glorified 
him by their sufferings and deaths. Lydia, by her 
submission to the ordinance of baptism, proclaimed 
herself a Christian. 

And you will observe, she did this immediately^ 
without consulting with flesh and blood ; and also 
without reserve ; relatively^ as well as personally ; de- 
voting her whole family in the sacred rite ; and thus 
saying, with Joshua, " As for me and my house, we 
will serve the Lord." 

The 3c? evidence was. The Pressing Solicitation she 
gave to the Apostles. " She besought us, saying, If 
ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come 
into my house, and abide there. And she constrained 
us." If this be viewed as expressive of her desire to 
gain more spiritual improvement from them, and to 
have her household blessed by them, even this was a 
token for good. 

But it was also an instance and a proof of her lib- 
erality. She was willing to "minister to the neces- 
sities of the saints ;" and "" given to hospitality :" 
not deeming it " a great thing," as she had received 
of their ^' spiritual things, that they should reap her 
carnal things." 

And here was more than liberality. Her conduct 
was the result of that affection for the servants of the 
Most High God, which she now felt. Like begets 
like, and attracts hke. " By this we know that we 
have passed from death unto life, because we love the 



LYDIA. 263 

brethren : and lie that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in 
God, and God in him." 

It also displayed her pious fortitude. To perceive 
this, you must look back, and remember that at this 
time. Christians were a " sect everywhere spoken 
against." To harbor these men was, therefore, the 
way, if not to endanger her dwellings, to have her 
name cast out as evil ; and to be denounced as coun- 
tenancing and entertaining disturbers, who came to 
" turn the world upside down ;" men who were re- 
garded as enemies to Moses, and rebels against Caesar. 
But all this she nobly braved, and proved that she 
was willing to go forth to the despised Galilean, 
" without the camp, bearing his reproach ;" and if not 
herself a sufferer, resolved to be a " companion of them 
that were so used." 

It would seem she had some difficulty in persuading 
them to comply with her invitation and request ; and 
why were they reluctant? Was it from delicacy? 
Were they afraid of being burdensome to a young 
convert? Or were they desirous of showing that, 
with regard to their followers, they sought not theirs, 
but them ? 

But considering their refusal as a seeming want of 
confidence in her sinceritj^, she would take no denial : 
" and she constrained us." Nor was this the only 
instance of her hospitality. Her dwelling seems to 
have been their home, while they were at Philippi; 
for after their casting out a spirit of divination, their 
imprisonment, the conversion of the jailer, and the 
defeat of the magistrates who would have thrust them 
out privily, we read, "they went out of the prison, 



264 LECTUEE XVII. 

and entered into tTie house of Lydia : and when they 
had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and de- 
parted," Happy Lj^dia, to be honored and favored 
v/ith such guests as Paul and Silas ! But how short, 
how interrupted were these delightful visits ; as brief 
as they were blessed ! We must not expect on earth 
the joys of heaven. 

Instead of a general application, — which has indeed 
been made all through the preceding lecture, — we 
shall conclude with a question, which we address to 
all your consciences in the sight of Grod. Has the 
change of which we have been speaking been effected 
in your experience ? Has the Loed opened youe 

HEAET ? 

Let me beseech you not to elude the question, as 
unimportant. It is of everlasting moment to each 
of you ; since the faithfal witness has said, " Except 
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of 
God. — Ye must be born again." 

Nor suppose the question incapable of being de- 
cided. Such a change must produce effects and 
evidences. " That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; 
and that which is born of the spirit is spirit." " They 
that are after the flesh do mind the things of the 
flesh ; but they that ase after the Spirit, the things of 
the Spirit." Compare yourselves with those who are 
described in the Scriptures as " new creatures." Place 
yourselves in the condition of Lydia, and see how far 
you are like-minded with her. 

Where the heart is shut, religion is a thing stand- 
ing without. Its duties are only externally regarded, 
and dragged through as tasks. But when the heart 



LYDIA. 265 

is open, all is open ; open to the Saviour, open to his 
people, open to his poor, open to his ministers, open 
to his cause. And now, his "yoke is easy," his " bur- 
den is light," and his " service is perfect freedom." 
The blessed convert, "whose heart the Lord has 
opened," is "upheld by a free Spirit," and with "en- 
larged heart he runs in the way of God's command- 
ments ;" " runs and is not weary ; and walks, and is 
not faint." 

12 



LECTURE XVIII. 



DORCAS 

Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by 
interpretation is called Dorcas : this woman was full of good 
works and alms-deeds which she did. And it came to pass iu 
those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had 
washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as 
Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that 
Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him 
that he would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose 
and went with them. When he was come, they brought him 
into the upper chamber : and all the widows stood by him 
weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas 
made, while she was with them. But Peter put them all forth, 
and kneeled down, and prayed ; and turning him to the body, 
said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes : and when she 
saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted 
her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, he pre- 
sented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa ; and 
many believed in the Lord. — Acts, ix. 36-42. 

" A GEACious woman/' says Solomon, " retainetli 
lionor." And who among tlie daughters of men 
deserves this noble character? She, whose heart 
is renewed by a divine agency — she, whose life is 
replete with benevolence and kindness — she, whose 
piety and liberality combine to aid and secure each 



DOKCAS. 267 

other — slie, whose " prayers and alms come up for 
a memorial before God." She is gracious; and, 
according to the testimony of the wise man, attracts 
honor: yea, he tells us she not only possesses, but 
retains it. Endeavors may be made to rob her of 
this treasure, but she will live down slander, and 
enthrone herself in the esteem of those around her. 
She may die, but her example will survive, and her 
influence will continue. " The name of the wicked 
shall rot : but the memory of the just is blessed ; 
and the righteous shall be in everlasting remem- 
brance." 

An illustration of this truth is now before us. 
For while many, who figured away in the neigh- 
borhood, flattered as the beauties of the day, admired 
for their attire, and distinguished by their accomplish- 
ments, have perished in oblivion, that which Dorcas 
did, wherever the gospel is preached, shall be told as 
a memorial of her. " Favor is deceitful, and beauty 
is vain : but a woman that feareth the Lord, she 
shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands ; 
and let her own works praise her in the gates." 

The place in which this good woman lived was 
Joppa, now called Jaffa. It was situated on the 
Mediterranean Sea, and was the nearest seaport to 
Jerusalem. It is often mentioned in the Scriptures. 
From hence Solomon received his floated timbers for 
building the temple. Here Jonah embarked, to flee 
from the presence of the Lord. Here Peter was 
authorized, in a vision, to preach the gospel to the 
Gentiles. Here, also, resided another individual 
immortalized in sacred history, not for secular gran- 



268 LECTUKE XVIII. 

deur, but for Christian hospitality — " Simon, a tanner, 
whose house was hy the sea-side." 

Concerning her condition in life, as nothing is told 
us, it would be useless to conjecture. It is probable 
she was a widow ; and she seems to have been a 
woman of respectability, if not of affluence, in her 
circumstances. 

But her chakacter ; — her death ; — and her eesur- 
RECTION, are the things distinctly recorded of her; 
and these are worthy of our devout attention. 

Let us review, and endeavor to improve them. 

I. As to her character ; she is designated '' a 
certain disciple." It is not said of whom she was a 
disciple, nor was it necessary. Jesus is the master, 
the only master of Christians, and she was one of 
his scholars. This was her dignity and happiness, 
to sit at the feet of him who is " Lord of all," and 
of whom it is said, "none teaches like him." But 
in this case, discipleship included, not only the belief 
and profession of his docrine, but also, a conformity 
to his example. "If any man will be my disciple, 
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and 
follow me." 

She is, therefore, described by her personal religion. 
This was not only real, but eminent. Such is the 
meaning of the expression, she " was full of good 
works and alms-deeds which she did." There are 
many to be found in every place, who " care for 
none of these things." Their life is filled up with 
vanity and vice ; but is entirely void of godliness. 
And there are others who are satisfied with low and 



DORCAS. 269 

common attainments. We do not see in them any 
disposition to excel : any of those vigorous and 
indefatigable exertions wliicli a supreme concern in 
any cause is likely to produce ; any of that zeal 
which is urging on the votaries of the world ; and 
which makes the covetous so strenuous to join house 
to house, and add field to field ; the ambitious to 
acquire and multiply honors ; and the scholar to 
enlarge his intellectual store. It was not so with 
Paul. "Brethren," said he, "I count not myself 
to have apprehended : but this one thing I do, for- 
getting those things which are behind, and reaching 
forth unto those things which are before, I press 
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of 
God in Christ Jesus." And what is his prayer for 
the Philippians ? " That ye may be filled with the 
fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, 
unto the glory and praise of God." And what does 
he implore for the Ephesians ? "To know the love 
of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be 
filled with all the fulness of God." With this, also, 
accords the admonition of the Apostle Peter ; " And 
beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith 
virtue ; and to virtue knowledge ; and to knowledge 
temperance ; and to temperance patience ; and to 
patience godliness ; and to godhness brotherly kind- 
ness ; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these 
things be in you, and abound, they make you that 
ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowl- 
edge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

All this shows the desirableness and the import- 
ance of rehgious progress, and prosperity in the divine 



270 LECTUEE XVIII. 

life. You should be anxious to be not only safe, but 
exemplary : not only to have faith, but to be "strong 
in faith :" not only to gain heaven when you die, but 
to glorify God, and serve your generation while you 
live. This was the case with Dorcas. 

But let us see in what it was that Dorcas excelled. 
She "was full ;^^' — ^not full of pretences, and of 
words, and of hearing sermons, and of public assem- 
blies ; all of which are often the mere " form of god- 
liness," without " the power." Her religion was 
substantial and practical: it was the religion of the 
heart and life : she abounded in obedience : she 
"was full of good works and alms-deeds which she 
did." 

Four things are mentioned to exemplify her practice. 

The First regards the Particular Objects of her 
Beneficence. They were " Widows:''^ — a class of claim- 
ants upon kindness and charity, more often men- 
tioned in the book of God than any other ; unless it 
be " the fatherless," who are commonly noticed 
along with them. And, surely, none have greater 
demands upon our tenderness and compassion. They 
are in a state of solitariness, after communion the 
most intimate and endeared, increasing every joy, and 
diminishing every sorrow by sympathy and participa- 
tion. They are in a state of helplessness and hazard, 
after leaning upon another for assistance and protec- 
tion ; and, therefore, they often become victims of 
artifice and injustice ; while their bereaved offspring 
are treated with severity or neglect, or are drawn 
aside by temptation to folly and vice. How often do 
they exchange ease and affluence for perplexity, toil, 



DORCAS. 271 

and indigence: for it is not every good man who 
leaves bags of gold behind him. 

Hence says God to the Jews, who were willing 
enough to attend the forms and ceremonies of divine 
worship : '' When ye spread forth yonr hands, I will 
hide mine eyes from yon : yea, when ye make many 
prayers, I will not hear ; yonr hands are full of blood. 
Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil of your 
doings from before mine eyes ; cease to do evil ; learn 
to do well ; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge 
the fatherless, plead for the widow." Hence says 
David ; "A father of the fatherless, and a judge of 
the widows, is God in his holy habitation." And 
hence says God himself to his dying servants ; " Leave 
thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; 
and let thy widows trust in me." " The Lord will 
destroy the house of the proud : but he will establish 
the border of the widow." 

It would seem that Dorcas peculiarly selected this 
class of characters for her beneficence. And as the 
charity of an individual cannot be universal in its 
exercise and efforts, though it be so in its princi- 
ple ; cannot embrace every object, nor furnish every 
kind of relief; would it not be well for those who 
wish to do good to have some definite plan of use- 
fulness to pursue ; and not to leave their benevolence 
to accidental applications, and to excitements which 
may or may not occur ? Having a fixed and definite 
object of charity always before you, you will be con- 
stantly reminded of your obligation, and may devote 
to it a thousand little attentions and assistances which 
would otherwise be wasted and lost. 



272 LECTURE XVIII. 

Only, here, two cautions are necessary. The one 
is, not to bind ourselves down so exclusively to any 
one class of beneficiaries as to be unable or unwilling 
to aid other claimants, however deserving or pressing, 
whom the Providence of Grod may bring in our way. 
The other is, not to lay such stress upon our own 
objects of charity as to think slightly or meanly of 
those which may be preferred by others; or not to 
think worthily and well of those who, although truly 
benevolent, fall not with readiness and ardor into our 
views and projects. Their education, their connec- 
tions, their situations and conditions in life, their 
prejudices, and even their piety, may turn into a di- 
versity of channels, the preference and efforts of those 
who are equally concerned to be useful. If men are 
endeavoring to do good, let them alone; yea, bid 
them God speed, though they walk not with us. 

The Second regards the Nature^ or Kind of her 
Charity. It was, furnishing the poor widows with 
clothing. And this is far from being an unimportant 
method of doing good : " when thou seest the naked, 
that thou cover him." 

There are many cases in which it will be found 
much more useful to supply the poor with necessaries 
and conveniences than to give them the value of these 
things in money ; for they are sometimes tempted to 
apply money to other purposes ; they are not often 
distinguished by prudence in their purchases ; and 
they seldom can buy things at first hand. The poor, 
in general, can supjDly themseves with provisions 
better than with raiment ; and old people commonly 
prefer warmth to food. Many poor persons have (I 



DOECAS. 273 

will not sa}^, a becoming pride, for all pride is an abom- 
ination to tlie Lord ; but) a wisli to appear decently 
clad ; and upon this ground tliey frequentl}^ excuse 
themselves from appearing in the house of God. How 
desirable it is to meet their v/ants and wishes in this 
respect, and to give them, a nail in God's holy place. 
0, I love to see the poor in the house of God : I love 
to see there, numbers of children dressed in the uni- 
form of benevolence : it aids my devotion, and excites 
my gTatitude. 

Let me beseech you not to waste anything that is 
convertible into clothing. And do not expend your 
money on useless ornaments ; for how often would 
a small part of the price of vanit}^ cover and comfort 
a fellow-creature for months or years. 

The Third regards the Manner in which she sup- 
•plied the relief. The benefits conferred were of 
her own manufacture. An emphasis is obviously laid 
on the " alms-deeds which she did f'' and we read 
expressly of "the coats and garments which Dorcas 
madeP She did not get them made^ but she made 
them : her alms were not only her gifts but her deeds. 
There are some who are ready enough to give in a 
way of charity, but they never do anything. They 
never "visit the fatherless and widows in their af- 
fliction;" they never "speak a word in season to 
him that is weary ;" they never move a foot, nor 
employ a hand, nor exercise the least self-denial in 
their works of mercy. 

Others there are, who can do nothing in a way of 
pecuniary assistance. But let not such conclude that 
they are doomed to unprofitableness. There are 

12* 



274 LECTUEE XVIII. 

innumerable ways of being useful ; and if you are 
compelled to say, " Silver and gold have I none ;" 
it becomes you to add, " Such as I have I give ; my 
prayers ; my tears ; my attentions ; my exertions." 
A great deal of good may be done, and a great deal 
of charity may be exercised, where nothing is given. 
My fair readers, especially you who are in younger 
life, and you who have the command of leisure ; not 
only purchase raw materials and cheap remnants, and 
preserve laid-aside articles ; but refuse not, at least 
occasionally, to employ your own hands, when alone, 
or in company with one another ; and observe the 
eulogium pronounced on the virtuous woman, " She 
stretched out her hand to the poor ; yea, she reacheth 
forth her hands to the needy." 

The Fourth regards the Promptitude of her Bene- 
ficence. It was immediate^ not deferred or delayed; 
but "while she was with them." She viewed. life as 
" the time to serve the Lord/' and her " own genera- 
tion by the will of Grod." Some are future benefactors. 
They do not refuse, they only procrastinate. But, 
says Solomon, "Withhold not good from them to 
whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand 
to do it. Say not unto thy neighbor, Gro, and come 
again, and to-morrow I will give :" for in the mean- 
while he may be no more, and you may be no more. 

Some are benevolent when they leave us, not while 
they are yet with us. But if it be well to bequeath, 
it is better to achieve. Dying alms are commonly 
suspicious: they arise from necessity rather than 
choice. There is little merit in distributing what you 
can hold no longer. Be, therefore, your own executors. 



DORCAS. 275 

Thus you will be enabled to apply your bounty properly, 
and may enjoy the pleasure of seeing the fruits of it. 
But how many precious opportunities pass neglected ! 
And how many will hereafter lament in vain that they 
did not more for the world, the church, the family, 
their children and servants, " while yet with them !" 

But Dorcas sickens and dies: for religion does not 
exempt us from the common calamities of life, or the 
ravages of mortality. The grave is " the house 
appointed for all living :" death is " the way of all 
the earth." The young die as well as the old ; the 
great as well as the small ; the righteous as well as the 
wicked. This peculiar consideration, indeed, attends 
the death of the godly, that they are disposed of infinitely 
to their advantage ; and in this view, "if we love 
them we should rejoice because they go unto the 
Father." But this very consideration also aggravates 
our grief. That which prepares them for the enjoy- 
ment of another world, qualifies them for their passage 
through this ; and in proportion to their gain is our 
loss. By their removal we lose intercessors, protectors, 
benefactors. The world, the church, religion, the 
gospel, the poor; all sustain injuries, which are great, 
if not irreparable. 

Death never acts without commission ; but he often 
cuts down those who, in the estimation of reason, can 
ill be spared. There is nothing, perhaps, in the whole 
compass of Divine Providence more mysterious than 
this ; that the useful should be snatched away in the 
midst of their days, while the unprofitable and mis- 
chievous are suffered to continue : — that a Yoltaire 
should live upwards of four score and ten years, while 



276 LECTUEE XVIII. 

a nation prematurely mourns over a Josiah, a con- 
gregation over a Hervej, a family of babes over a 
tender motber, the poor Avidows over Dorcas, tbeir 
friend and helper. '' O tbe depth of the ricbes botb 
of tbe wisdom and knowledge of God ! bow unsearch- 
able are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" 
But He has a right to do what be will with bis 
own; and very often these dark dispensations are 
enlightened and relieved by some effects which serve 
to discover tbe design of Grod in them, and to verify 
tbe words of the poet : 

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take ; 

The clouds ye so much dread, 
Are big with mercy, and shall break 
In blessings on your head. 

At this season, Peter happened to be at Lydda, 
which was nigh to Joppa ; and, therefore, the disciples 
immediately sent two men to inform him of the 
mournful event, and to " desire that be would not 
delay to come to them." Was this merely that be 
might comfort them under their loss? Or was it 
that be might enable them to improve tbe death? 
Or did they hope that he would be able to restore 
tbe departed to life? If so, their faith was wonder- 
ful, for it does not appear that the disciples had as 
yet raised any from the dead ; although their Master 
bad promised them that " the works which be did, 
should they do also ; yea, and greater works than 
these should they do ; because be went unto the 
Father." 

However this might be, " Peter arose, and went 



DORCAS. 277 

witli tliem." It seemed useless, but lie knew it was 
well to be "ready to every good work." It seemed 
useless, but he knew that the desire of the afflicted, 
even if apparent!}^ unreasonable, should be tenderly 
indulged. It seemed useless, but he knew that ' ' the 
things which are impossible with men are possible 
with God." Perhaps he already had a divine instinct 
or impulse, the forerunner and the pledge of the 
miracle which he afterwards performed. 

No sooner was Peter arrived than he was con- 
ducted into the upper chamber, where the dead body 
was laid. There a scene was presented that was 
sufficient to melt a heart much less tender than 
Peter's. " All the widows stood by him weeping, 
and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas 
made while she was with them." 

Here we may remark, that the value of persons is 
sometimes not known till they are gone. This is the 
case, indeed, with all our mercies: the want teaches 
the worth : 

" How blessings brighten as they take their flight!" 

The praise of this good women was like her alms, 
real and sincere. Here was no need of hired mourners. 
Here are no verses composed ; no eulogy pronounced : — 
but garments, some suspended, and some worn, which 
her own hands had made ; and widows, indebted to 
her bounty, bedewing the room with their tears. 

The best posthumous fame you can acquire is de- 
rived from the commendation of facts ; from a child 
you instructed, a school you established, a penitentiary 
you visited, a sinner you reclaimed. The best proofs 



278 LECTUEE XVIII 

of your importance are to be found in the affections 
and benedictions of your fellow-creatures while you 
live, and in their regrets and lamentations when you 
die. '^When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; 
and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me : be- 
cause I delivered the poor that cried, and the father- 
less, and him that had none to help him. The blessing 
of him that was ready to perish came upon me : and 
I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy." 

I hate dry-eyed funerals. Though it is distressing, 
it is also satisfactory, at the mouth of the grave, to 
see one wiping his streaming eyes ; to hear another 
say, " I must have perished but for him ;" while we 
all feel, in a measure, as Thomas did, when he said to 
his fellow-disciples, " Let us also go that we may die 
with him." 

Do all thus die ? Do oppressive masters ? Do 
unkind neighbors ? Do the hard-hearted, and the 
close-fisted thus die ? Solomon has said, " When 
the wicked perish, there is shouting." There is 
something in this more cruel than the grave. How 
intolerable the thought, that we may go off and not 
be missed for a moment ; that if we left the world, 
the door might be shut, and bolted by all that are 
behind ; and that if it were possible to return again 
to earth, no individual would receive us. And are 
there not numbers now living, who, if they were 
buried to-morrow, would have no lamentation over 
them? 

But it was otherwise with Dorcas : "all the widows 
stood by the Apostle weeping, and showing the coats 
and garments which Dorcas made while she was 



DORCAS. 279 

with them." Such were their feelings: — what were 
his f 

"It is better to go to the house of mourning, than 
to go to the house of feasting : for that is the end of 
all men ; and the living will lay it to his heart. 
Sorrow is better than laughter ; for by the sadness 
of the countenance the heart is made better." Whose 
experience has not confirmed the truth of this observa- 
tion ? Have you not entered a room where the effects 
of death were visible ? There lay, about to be fastened 
up and committed to the dust, the remains of a relation, 
a friend, a neighbor. Here sat the bereaved con- 
nections in sable attire, and with visages of woe ; each 
saying, in a murmur more affecting than words, 
" Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my 
friends ; for the hand of God hath touched me !" Have 
you not caught the sympathy? Has not the mind 
been solemnized and softened? Have not envy, 
malice, earthly- mindedness given place to affectionate 
and heavenly impressions ? You saw that " all flesh is 
grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower 
of the field :" you felt that " man walketh in a vain 
shadow :" and you sighed, "Where is God, my maker, 
who giveth songs in the night ?" Peter, therefore, 
was now in a situation to rec ive good, even if he 
could not have done any. 

But, happily, he can do more than " weep with 
them that weep ;" and he applies himself to his work. 
He "put them all forth." He dismissed the spectators 
for two reasons. First, from a principle of Humility ^ 
he did not wish to be seen. And, Secondly, from a 
principle of Importunity ; company might have 



280 LECTUEE XVIII. 

hindered the intenseness of his devotion. Being thus 
alone, he " kneeled down, and prayed :" and then 
" turning himself to the body, he said, Tabitha, arise. 
And she opened her eyes ; and when she saw Peter, 
she sat up." This was expressive of reverence ; but 
what must have been her surprise? When she fell 
asleep in death, some of her own attendants were 
doubtless around her bed : but now they have vanished, 
and Peter only is present — '"Where are theyf — And 
how comes he here ? — 

But where had her spirit been during this interval ? 
In Paradise ? or detained near her body, to which it 
was so soon to be reunited ? Could she distinctly 
remember what had taken place in her separate state ? 
Did she ever converse upon this subject? Or did 
any press her concerning it ? We can decide nothing. 
The Scripture does not gratify our curiosity. " Secret 
things belong unto the Lord our Grod : but those 
things which are revealed belong unto us and to our 
children." 

Next, we are told that Peter "gave her his hand, 
and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints 
and widows, he presented her alive." ! for the 
painter's pencil ! ■ O ! to see Mm giving, and them 
receiving this present 1 " There, take your benefac- 
tress, and dry up your tears." 

This is very instructive. It shows us that kindness 
was the principle of the miracle ; not self-applause ; 
not vainglory. Then, Peter would have claimed her 
as an attendant, and required her to follow him as a 
standing proof of his supernatural powers ; but he 
resigns her to those who stood in need of her services. 



DORCAS. 281 

It teaches us not onl}^ the power of God, but his 
goodness. We see that " the Lord is gracious, and 
fall of compassion- ;" that " he will regard the prayer 
of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.'" 

And does not this show us the importance of benefi- 
cence ? Were we left to judge, we, perhaps, should 
have thought it better for Stephen to have been 
raised up than Dorcas. But God revives the one, 
and leaves the other in the grave, because "so it 
seemed good in his sight ;" and, perhaps, to teach us 
that our thoughts are not his thoughts ; that we 
are improper judges of usefulness ; that persons 
whose excellencies are of sober, modest, and retiring 
character, may be more important in the eye of 
heaven than those who are more brilliant and mar- 
vellous ; that moral qualities are far more regarded 
by him than intellectual ones ; and that, in some cases, 
a good life may be as valuable as good preaching. 
Whom does he, by a miracle, bring back from the 
arrest of death ? A hero ? — a politician ? — a philoso- 
pher ? — " Talk no more so exceeding proudly ; let 
not arrogancy come out of your mouth : for the Lord 
is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are 
weighed." No ! He brings back one who made 
garments for the poor ! 

And does he not hereby show us that he takes 
pleasure in those wlio, like himself, delight in mercy ; 
and that " he is not unrighteous to forget their work 
and labor of love, in ministering to the saints" ? 

In a word, does he not say, " Them that honor 
me, I will honor" ? 

But you ask, was this a privilege to Dorcas? — 



282 LECTUEE XVIII. 

to be brought back into a vale of tears, and again to 
have to '^ walk through the vallej' of the shadow of 
death," after she had happily passed it? — I answer, 
Yes ! notwithstanding this, it was a great privilege. 
It was a marvellous distinction conferred upon her; 
and it added to her usefulness, and to her reward. 

The saints on earth have one privilege above the 
saints in heaven. It is in the means and opportu- 
nities of doing good. " The spirits of just men made 
perfect" cannot forgive injuries, cannot exercise can- 
dor, cannot teach transgressors the ways of God, 
cannot feed the hungry, nor clothe the naked. This 
is your privilege alone, Christians ; and it will not 
be your privilege long. 

"We may be assured that with much zeal Dorcas 
would improve the remainder of her days, " yielding 
herself to God," as one, now in a new sense, "alive from 
the dead ;" laying up a richer treasure in heaven ; 
and returning, after a little time, with a "far more 
exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Though 
there is nothing meritorious in our works, yet grace 
has made them rewardable; and " what a man soweth, 
that shall he also reap." 

Such a miracle would naturally excite attention. 
When Martha made our Lord a supper, " much people 
of the Jews knew that he was there ; and they came, 
not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see 
Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead." 
What an interesting character would a man be who 
had been brought back from the invisible world! 
Our Saviour had said that the sickness of Lazarus 
would be " for the glory of God." His resurrection 



DORCAS. 283 

from the dead carried sucli conviction with it, that 
we find " the Chief Priests consulted that thej might 
put Lazarus to death ; because that by reason of him, 
many of the Jews went away, and beheved on Jesus." 
And thus it was here. The revival of Dorcas not 
only benefited the poor widows ; but instructed and 
comforted the disciples; confirmed the Grospel by 
proving that it was the power of God, and that its 
preachers were the messengers of heaven; put to 
silence the ignorance of some ; and so wrought on 
the minds of others that it is said, the thing " was 
known throughout all Joppa, and many beheved in 
the Lord." Her resurrection, therefore, was a great 
privilege, for which she is now praising God. 

What now remains, but to recommend the imita- 
tion of this example to all; especially to you, my 
female readers? Alms-giving is made too much of 
by some ; they consider it as the whole of charity ; 
when, according to the Apostle, there may be no 
charity in it ; for it is possible for a man to give all 
his goods to feed the poor, and yet not have charity. 

But others make too little of alms-giving ; and 
some preachers seem afraid of enforcing it. But 
when it results from principle, much of pure and 
undefiled religion is included in it. And vain is love 
without it: "Whoso hath this world's good, and 
seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his 
bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the 
love of God in him ?" Yain is faith Avithout it: " If 
a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily 
food, and one of you say unto them. Depart in peace, 
be ye warmed and filled ; notwithstanding ye give 



284 LECTUEE XVIII. 

them not those things which are needful to the body ; 
what doth it profit ? For as the body without the 
spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." 

It has often been supposed that there is less liber- 
ality among women than among men : and it has 
been accounted for by their circumstances and habits 
in life. They are not accustomed to handle money 
in so large a way as men, and therefore they feel 
more in parting with small siims. They are often 
limited in their means. The necessity under which 
they are laid by nature or opinion to appear fine, 
renders temptations to dress often too strong for frail 
humanity ; and hence there is little left to spend on 
charity. Some of them have not the means of alms- 
giving as they ought to have ; for whatever can be 
laid by for the relief of the poor, the wife should share 
equally with the husband. 

After all, I should be unwilling to admit the charge. 
And sure I am, that if you were more defective than 
the other sex in this kind of beneficence, (which I 
do not believe,) you would be more criminal too. The 
very law of nature has inclined you, in a peculiar 
degree, to compassion and pity. Your delicate sen- 
sibilities are more affected with the presentation of 
distress and pain. Your experience, which makes you 
feel so many privations and trials of your own, 
enables you to sympathizer" more with the sorrowful. 
The quickness of sentiment in you operates hke 
instinct, without the coldness of reasoning, and urges 
you immediately to relieve ; while we^ perhaps, are 
pausing to suspect, and question and deliberate. 
None can relish like you the delicious gratification 



DORCAS. 285 

arising from doing good. Abonnd then, more and 
more, in these dispositions and exertions, which so 
well become jour character and condition. 

But you will no think of trusting in any of your 
performances. When you have done all you will say, 
" we are unprofitable servants." You will " rejoice 
in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." 
Bu1i it will, surel}^, be encouraging and gratifying to 
you to reflect, that " with such sacrifice-s God is well 
pleased." You will not expect preservation from 
sickness ; but he will comfort and " strengthen you 
upon the bed of languishing ; and will make all your 
bed in your sickness." You will not expect to be 
brought back from the dead; but prayers may be 
heard for your recovery. When you die, the Saviour 
will watch over your remains, and he ^' will raise you 
up at the last day." " They cannot recompense you, 
but you shall be recompensed at the resurrection of 
the just." 



LECTURE XIX. 

THE ELECT LADY 



The elder unto the elect ladj and her children, whom I love in the 
truth ; and not I only, but also all they that have known the 
truth; for the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be 
with us forever. — 2 John, i. 2. 



Much of the New Testament is epistolary. These 
epistles are of three kinds. Some are directed to 
Christians at large ; some to single churches ; and 
some to particular individuals. Of the third class 
are two of John's epistles. 

The one was addressed to a male. His name was 
Grains. He was distinguished by bodily indisposition, 
soul-prosperity, and great liberality and zeal. 

The other was written to a female. She is called 
"the Elect Lady." 

But who was this distinguished personage? Per- 
haps she was a deaconess. Perhaps she had a church 
in her house. Perhaps her mansion was the asylum 
of the persecuted, and the dwelling where the minis- 
ters of the Word and the brethren always found a 



THE ELECT LADY. 287 

welcome and a home. She was, obviously, well 
known, of high reputation, and accounted worthy of 
double honor. 
Let us consider. 

I. What the Apostle says as descriptive of 
HEE Character. 

And II. What the Apostle does as expressive of 
HIS Kegard. 

We notice I. What the Apostle says as descrip- 
tive OF HER Character. 

And here, we remark at the outset, that John does 
not mean to represent her as a faultless being, unless 
in degree.^ But there is an important difference be- 
tween comparative and absolute completeness. Im- 
perfections are found in the holiest individuals while 
here. " In many things," says James, ^' we offend 
all." In like manner John himself declares, "If we 
say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves; and the 
truth is not in -us :" and he would not contribute to 
such a delusion. He therefore views her not as in- 
fallible and impeccable ; but as in the body, though 
not in the flesh; as liable to' temptation ; and even, 
as not beyond the need of cautions and admonitions, 
which he therefore administers. 

Neither does he furnish us with a full delineation 
of her character, as it really was ; but gives us a few 
intimations concerning her, which will enable us to 
estimate her worth. 

The foundation of aU her excellencies was her jper- 
sonal and evangelical godliness. She was "walking 



288 LECTUEE XIX. 

in the truth." There are various kinds of truth ; 
but by truth here we are to understand the Grospel, 
which so well deserves the name, and is so emphat- 
ically styled ''The Truth "—" the Truth of G-od"— 
"the Truth as it is in Jesus." 

Her regard to this truth is expressed by her 
" walking in itP Walking implies life, action, and 
progress ; and she exemplified the influence of the 
principle by walking in the knowledge of the truth ; 
in the practice of the truth ; in the profession of the 
truth ; and in the service of the truth ; or, as the 
Apostle expresses it, in being a " fellow-helper to the 
truth." 

She seems to have been a woman of some rank 
and distinction. The Lord commonly takes his fol- 
lowers from the lower walks of life, and chooses "the 
poor of this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the 
kingdom which he hath promised to them that love 
him." "Not many mighty, not many noble are 
called;" but the very language implies that there is 
no absolute exclusion. There was a time when piety 
rode in the second chariot in Egypt, and presided 
over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces in Baby- 
lon. We read in the Grospels of a " rich counsellor," 
and in the Acts of "honorable women, not a few." 
And there have always been some who, though not 
seeking great things for themselves, have yet possessed 
them ; and they have brought their toys and baubles 
to the foot of the Cross, glad to part with all to " ob- 
tain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eter- 
nal glory." 

These have been so few as to evince that religion 



THE ELECT LADY. 289 

does not depend, for its spread or support, upon 
wordly greatness; yet they have, also, been suffi- 
ciently numerous to remove the prejudice, so often 
entertained, that it is only suited to the low, vulgar, 
and illiterate. Cowper, when lamenting the common 
degeneracy of our country, is constrained to admit 
some exceptions ; and he mentions 

" one, who wears a coronet, and prays." 

And, blessed be Grod, this may be now said of many ; 
for, perhaps, in our day more has been done in a 
work of grace, amongst persons of quality, than 
amongst any other class of our population. 

Again, we see that this excellent lady was in 
wedded life. And let not ignorance, and supersti- 
tion, and the doctrine of demons lead you to oppose, 
or even to undervalue that which inspiration itself 
pronounces to be "honorable in all;" which was 
becoming and needful even in Paradise ; which was 
sanctioned by the Saviour's presence, and earliest 
miracle; which is the greatest source of domestic 
purity, and peace, and pleasure; which more pro- 
motes and secures the welfare of the community than 
all civil institutions besides, while it invests woman 
with her chief importance, derived from her mater- 
nity. 

Nothing, however, is said of the husband of this 
distinguished lady. This may be accounted for in 
two ways. First^ He may not have been a Christian ; 
and if so, and if when she married him she was her- 
self a Christian, she disrega^rded the requisition to 
marry " only in the Lord ;" and she had no reason 

13 



290 LECTURE XIX. 

• . . . 

to complain of any trials resulting from it. But she 

may (and this seems more likely to have been the 
case) have been herself converted after the union; 
while he remained in the same state as before ; and 
it has commonly been observed, that religion has 
fewer adherents among males than females. 

Or, secondly^ her husband might have been dead ; 
and, considering the representation given here of the 
state of her family, this appears to be much more prob- 
able than that he was a heathen or an infidel. 

Now, if this was true, she had been called to sus- 
tain the most painful of all bereavements, and was a 
widow ; and a ^' widow indeed," for she was a mater- 
nal widow. It is trying when a wife, after the most 
intimate and endeared fellowship, is left to travel the 
remainder of life without companion, guide, or helper ; 
but what is it, then, not only to be left alone, but to 
be charged with a fatherless family, with the whole 
burden of duty resting on herself; and to feel that 
she is entrusted with their estate, their health, their 
morals, their lives, and their eternal interests? 
Surely here is enough to call forth the exclamation, 
" Who is sufficient for these things?" 

And this was the case here; for we read of the 
^^ children^'' of this ^' elect lady." "Lo, children are 
a heritage of the Lord ; and the fruit of the womb is 
his reward." But what a heritage may they often 
be found ! " Children," says Henry, '' are certain 
cares, uncertain comforts, and probable crosses." 
Many, who once longed for offspring, are noAV ready 
to join in the decision, '' Blessed are the barren, and 
.the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never 



THE ELECT LADY. 291 

gave suck." "A foolish son," says Solomon, "is 
the heaviness of his mother." As the father is no 
less interested than the mother, why does Solomon 
mention the mother only ? Is it to intimate that she 
is frequently the cause, by imprudent indulgences and 
early concealments? Or is it because she is likely 
to suffer most from the pressure of the calamity, 
having fewer engagements to divert her attention, 
from vexation and anguish ? If the troubler lives 
much at home, she, princijoally, has to endure the 
evil ; and if he transgresses abroad, she is sure 
always to hear the worst of it from the loud liar, 
report. 

However this may be, how many a mother feels 
this " heaviness" pressing her life down to the gTound ! 
And, at the sight or mention of an idler, a drunkard, 
a profligate, or a despiser of them that are good, yet 
one 

whom she has borne and bred, 

Nursed on her knee, and at ber bosom fed ; 

how can she, with a heart's bitterness known only to 
herself, help bewailing, and alas ! in vain ; " What 
my son ! and what the son of my womb ! and what 
the son of my vows !" And are parents in higher 
life less exposed to such dangers and trials ? 

But we hail this " elect lady." This was not her 
affliction ; for we read that her " children ^''^ like her- 
self, were " found walking in truthr JSTothing is 
said of the means of their religion. The expedients 
and instrumentalities, providential and gTacious, in 
awakening, enlightening, iind reclaiming individuals, 
are innumerable. What is not sometimes thus divinely 



292 LECTURE XIX. 

employed? "Lo, all these things worketh God 
oftentimes with man, to bring back his sonl from the 
pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living." 

Perhaps one of her children was wrought upon bj 
his paternal bereavement, God addressing his softened 
heart as he returned from the grave, and saying, " Wilt 
thou not from this time cry unto me, My Father, thou 
art the guide of my youth ?" Perhaps another was 
laid hold of by a bodily disease, which threatened to 
shorten the days of his youth, and hasten him into an 
eternal world. Perhaps a third was impressed by the 
preaching of " the truth as it is in Jesus." This, 
indeed, is the ordinary means of conversion : " faith 
Cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." 

But why may we not conclude that it was chiefly 
by her own instrumentality that they had been brought 
into the ways of truth ; so that they were in a double 
sense her offspring, imbibing from her not only the milk 
of the breast, but likewise " the sincere milk of the 
word" ? Thus, to Hannah we owe Samuel ; and to 
Eunice, Timothy: and Baxter tells us that ''if pa- 
rental dut}^ were faithfully and fully performed, the 
preaching of the word would not long remain the 
usual means of conversion." For it should be ob- 
served, that even good men and women are not all 
good fathers and mothers. It is said of Eli, " his sons 
made themselves vile, and he restrained them not:" 
and of David, with regard to Adonijah, that he " had 
not displeased him at any time in saying. Why hast 
thou done so?" To look into the families of some 
professors for anything like consistent piety, is like 
seeking to " gather grapes of thorns, and figs of 



THE ELECT LADY. 293 

thistles." It was not tlms among our forefathers. 
They did not expect to reap where they had not sown, 
or to gather where they had not strawed. In the 
houses of the Henrys, and numbers of their cotem- 
poraries, religion was a kind of heir-loom; "instead 
of the fathers were the children ;" and " as was the 
mother, so was the daughter." Where the proper 
means are properly used, we have always some in- 
stances to show what may be done by education, and 
example, even fallen as human nature is: while 
Scripture assures us ; (and if this be not a promise 
which is always true, it is a proverb which must be 
generally true ;) " Train up a child in the way he 
should go ; and when he is old, he will not depart 
from it." 

This, ye mothers, is peculiarly for you. Re- 
member what opportunities, and means, and influences 
you possess ; and reflect, what blessings in your day 
and generation you will become, if you send forth, 
from under your care, those who will prove the ser- 
vants of the Most High God, and the noblest bene- 
factors and ornaments of society. 

Finally, this "elect lady" had not only holy off- 
spring, but pious connections and relatives. John 
speaks of her sister, and of her nephews and nieces : — 
"The children of thine elect sister greet thee." K 
you say this was no part of her character, yet it was, 
surely, no inconsiderable part of her happiness: — 
yea, it would possibly and probably be found, if all 
were known, to be connected with her religion, and 
really derived from it. For who can teU how far it 
was in answer to her prayers, and the result of her 



294 LECTUEE XIX. 

example, endeavors, and influence? Many of the 
godly mentioned in the Scripture, had pious kindred. 
Peter and Andrew, John and James, were brothers. 
In one family, (probably consisting of no more,) we 
find the three friends of the Saviour : " Now Jesus loved 
Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." Paul, in his 
Epistle to the Eomans, says, " Salute 'Andronicus 
and Junia, m/y kinsmen^ and my fellow-prisoners, who 
are of note among the Apostles, who also were in 
Christ before me." " Salute Eufus, chosen in the Lord ; 
and his mother, and miner 

There are few single conversions. They who are 
first called, are often tried for a time ; and some for 
a long time; and cry with Esther, "How can I en- 
dure to see the destruction of my kindred?" But 
as, by the grace of Grod, they are sure to be concerned 
for their welfare, and will labor for their salvation, 
they seldom labor in vain. And this success would 
be oftener witnessed, if their attempts were made in 
more simple and entire dependence upon the grace of 
the Spirit ; if their efforts were uniforml}^ accompanied 
with consistency of conduct ; and if their religion were 
rendered attractive rather than repulsive, abounding 
in the things which are "lovely and of good report." 
Where this has been the case, neighbors have been 
induced to say, " we will go with you;" masters and 
mistresses have been blessed with good and faithful 
servants ; sisters have allured brothers into the way 
everlasting ; and not a few wives have prevailed upon 
even opposing husbands to "take sweet counsel to- 
gether, and walk to the house of God in company." 
And " how knowest tliou^ wife, whether thou shalt 
not save thy husband ?" 



THE ELECT LADY. 295 

Such was this illustrious female ; and you know 
who hath said, " Them that honor me, I will honor." 
Having, therefore, shown what John says, as descrip- 
tive of her character, let us, 

II. See WHAT THE Apostle does, as expressive 

OF HIS REGARD. 

Here two things are peculiarly striking and ob- 
servable : — his Letter : — and his Visit. 

First, He writes her an Epistle. This Epistle we 
possess. It does not fall in with our plan or limits 
to comment on its various contents. AVe may re- 
mark, that correspondence is not always significant of 
respect. Letters are of various descriptions. There 
are letters of necessity, and letters of formality, and 
letters of business. These spring from no special 
regard, and confer no distinction. But it is other- 
wise with letters of choice, preference, and esteem; 
especially when coming from those who are not 
only our friends, but our superiors. Perhaps there 
is nothing of which persons are more proud than 
an epistle from a distinguished individual. How 
vain A\ould many feel, if they Could show a letter 
addressed to themselves from an extraordinary scholar, 
or genius, or statesmen, or warrior: — a Chatham, or 
a Wellington. 

What was it then to receive a letter thus indited, 
and directed; — "The elder unto the elect lady and 
her children, whom I love in the truth." O ! who 
would be without aflfeclion ? Who wo aid not be loved, 
rather than admired ? What pleasure could we feel in 
our dependents and servants, unless we were loved 
by them, as well as obeyed? I could not bear to 
own a favorite animal, unless I made him fond of 



296 LECTUEE XIX. 

me. And wliat was it, then, for this honored lady 
to receive a letter, assuring her that she was loved by 
the writer in sincerity and truth ; a letter in his own 
handwriting ; a letter from an Apostle, " the disciple 
whom Jesus loved," who had received the visions of 
the Almighty in Patmos, the only survivor of the 
twelve heralds of heaven ; how would she feel at 
the opening of such a letter ; how would she value 
it ; how carefully preserve it ; how often re-peruse it ; 
and how tempted to boast of it ! And if autographs 
were sought after then as they are now, what a price 
would this letter have fetched ; and who would have 
deemed it dear ! — But, what became of it ? Was it 
burned in the flames of persecution ? Was it destroyed 
by accident ? Or did it decay and moulder away of age ? 

Secondly^ He honors her not only with a letter, 
but with a Visit. " Having many things to write 
unto you, I would not write with paper and ink : but 
I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that 
our joy may be fall." 

We ought to be thanful for ink and paper. They 
identify information ; they perpetuate intelligence ; 
they annihilate distance ; they enable us to talk with- 
out being heard. John himself was at this very time 
employing them ; but he knew that though correspond- 
ence was good, personal intercourse was better, not 
onl}^ because of the pleasure it affords by means of 
feature-expression (far beyond any emphasis of mere 
words) but also by yielding freer and ampler comm^uni- 
cation ; for however nimble the pen of a ready writer 
may be, it cannot utter a thousandth part of the over- 
flowings of the tongue. 



THE ELECT LADY. 297 

We know not the place of the residence of this 
lady ; and therefore we know not how far John had 
to travel : nor can we tell the mode of his conveyance ; 
for he could hardly, at his age, travel on foot. He 
speaks of his intended journey with pleasure ; yet he 
could not be insensible of the difficulties, dangers, and 
uncertainties of travelling ; especially in those days, 
and under a weight of years. He, therefore, expresses 
himself concerning it dependently and piously ; and 
says, " I trust to come unto you ;" acknowledging 
the providence of God, and confiding for the issue in 
him, " in whose hands our breath is, and whose are 
all our ways." Herein he should be our example, 
for we are commanded to " commit our way unto the 
Lord, and trust also in him, that he may bring it to 
pass." We ought to say, "If the Lord will, Ave shall 
live, and do this, or that :" for though " a man's heart 
deviseth his way, the Lord directeth his steps :" and 
in vain we say, with regard to any design or enter- 
prise, " Amen," unless " the Lord God shall say so 
too." 

But see the advantage which John desires and ex- 
pects from the journey itself: — " That our joy may be 
full." The joy of which he speaks is not carnal or 
worldly joy ; but that joy which is one of " the fruits 
of the Spirit:" and of this, it is obvious the first 
Christians had more than we moderns commonly 
experience ; and they valued it more highly ; valued it, 
not only because of the pleasure, but especially because 
of the profit connected with it. " The joy of the Lord 
was their strength." It enlivened their duty ; it 
soothed their minds ; it weaned them from the world ; 

13* 



298 LECTUEE XIX. 

it adorned and recommended tlieir religion to all around 
them. They regarded it, therefore, as not only a 
privilege, but a duty ; and were concerned to " walk 
in the comfort of the Holy Grhost," as well as "in the 
fear of the Lord :" remembering the admonition, "re- 
joice evermore ;" and the commandment, " ask, and 
ye shall receive, that your joy may be fall." 

This joy was to be not only multiplied, but mutual. 
John therefore says, " that our joy may be fall." 
They were to be blessings to each other ; not only the 
apostle to the disciple, but the disciple to the apostle. 
In like manner, Paul writes to the Eomans, " For I 
long to see you, that I may impart unto you some 
spiritual gift, to the end ye may be estabhshed ; that 
is, that / may he comforted together with you hy the 
mutual faith hoth of you and me." 

There is no such thing as independence: all are 
needful, all are useful. We are not only " one body 
in Christ," but " every one also members one of an- 
other." " The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have 
no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I 
have no need of you." — " And whether one member 
suffer, all the members suffer with it ; or one member 
be honored, all the members rejoice with it." 

But let us for a moment imagine this visit accom- 
plished, and John arrived at the mansion of his hon- 
ored friend. How did she look for him, as the time 
of his coming drew near ! With what welcome did 
she receive him I Though he affected no state, with 
what sedulousness was he attended! What satisfac- 
tion and gratitude would she feel in having such an 
inmate under her roof, such a guest at her table, such 



THE ELECT LADY. 299 

a minister in her family! How would all "rise up 
before the lioar j head, and honor the face of the old 
man !" Hov/ would he pray and praise, morning 
and evening ! How would he converse ! Cowper has, 
in a measure, informed us : 

When one, that holds eomniuuion with the skies, 
Has filled his urn where these pure waters rise, 
And once more mingles with us meaner things, 
'Tis even as if an angel shook his wings ; 
Immortal fragrance fills the circuit wide. 
That tells us whence his treasures are supplied. 

Let US make one reflection, and conclude. It 
regards the power of the social principle ; and the value, 
not only of friendship, but of actual intercourse. 

Man is designed and formed for society. His 
faculties, and inclinations, and exigencies, all urge 
him to associate. In his natural state he loves so- 
ciety in sin ; and in his renewed state he loves society 
in grace. Whatever attachments he had before, he 
then easily drops the sons and daughters of vanity 
and vice ; and " takes hold of the skirt of him that 
is a Jew, saying, I will go with you ; for I have 
heard that God is with you." 

Many things may often keep the partakers of di- 
vine grace asunder ; but, " being let go, they go to 
their own company ;" for each of them can say, " I 
am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of 
them that keep thy precepts." 

No, "it is not good for man to be alone;" nor is 
it good for the Christian to be alone. " Two are 
better than one." Bunyan knew this : he has no 
solitary pilgrim. Though Christian began his jour- 
ney alone, he soon enjoyed a fellow-traveller ; and 



800 ' LECTURE XIX. 

Hopefal was found to be his companion, when Faith- 
fol was removed. 

But love delights in the presence of its object ; 
and as "iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth 
the countenance of his friend." John does not ex- 
press this more strongly than Paul. To Timothy he 
says : " Glreatly desiring to see thee, that I maj be 
filled with joy ;" and to the Thessalonians he writes ; 
" ISTight and day praying exceedingly that I may see 
your face, and may perfect that which is lacking in 
your faith :" and to the Eomans ; "I trust to see 
you in my journey, and to be brought on my way by 
you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company. — 
That I may come unto you with joy by the will of 
God, and may with you be refreshed." 

Here we perceive the desirableness and advantage 
of personal intercourse and communion. Let us en- 
large and exemplify the thought in a few instances. 

And First^ How pleasing is it to meet "face to 
face," and commune, after long separation and ab- 
sence ; especially if, during that separation, we have 
experienced trying circumstances, and perilous events. 
And in a world like this, when is it that we are not 
exposed? and do we not "stand in jeopardy every 
hour" ? But, to meet again with those we love, 
after a murderous robbery, a shipwreck, a desperate 
accident, or a threatening disease ; — what gushings 
of feeling then 1 what eagerness of words ! what 
mingling of tears, joyous tears ! and, surely, if Chris- 
tians, what divine acknowledgments ! "0 magnify 
the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name to- 
gether." " I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and 



THE ELECT LADY. 301 

delivered me from all my fears." Thus Jacob and 
Joseph met after twenty years of absence. 

Secondly^ How pleasing to meet " face to face," 
and commune, in the apartments and confinements of 
trouble. This indeed is a duty, and we are as much 
required to " visit the fatherless and widows in their 
affliction," as to " keep ourselves unspotted from the 
world." Have j^ou ever been in the house of mourn- 
ing ; or in the chamber of sickness ; or in a state of 
gloom and despondency, ready to say, " The Lord 
hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me ;" 
and has a fellow Christian entered with the cup of 
consolation in his hand, and a word in season on his 
tongue ? Has not his face appeared as the face of 
an angel ? Have you not said, " Come in, thou 
blessed of the Lord" ? And needed you the wisest 
of men to tell you that as " ointment and perfume 
rejoice the heart, so doth the sweetness of a man's 
friend by hearty counsel" ? Thus David and Jona- 
than met: "Jonathan went \o David into the wood, 
and strengthened his hand in Grod." 

Thirdly^ How pleasing to meet "face to faCe," in 
the exercises of social devotion in the sanctuary. Who 
has not taught his child to say, and who has not said 
himself; 

Lord bow delightful 'tis to see 

A whole assembly worship thee ! 

At once they sing, at once they pray ; 

They hear of heaven, and learn the way. 

I have been there and still would go, 

'Tis like a little heaven below. 

It was the loss of such a privilege that led David 
to say ; " "When I remember these things I pour out 



302 LECTURE XIX. 

my soul in me : for I liad gone with the multitude, I 
went with them to the house of Grod, with the voice 
of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy- 
day." It was the want of this that induced him to 
say, " My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for 
thee in a drj^ and thirsty land, where no water is ; to 
see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee 
in the sanctuary." 

Then, Finally^ What will it be to meet '^face to 
face" in heaven ? Then our joy will be full. This 
supposes, indeed, a mutual recognition of each other 
there; and, says Baxter, "I am fully persuaded I 
shall love my friends in heaven ; and therefore know 
them ; and this, principally, binds me to them on 
earth. If I thought I should never know them more ; 
nor, therefore, love them after death, I should love 
them comparatively little, as I do all other transient 
things : but now I delight in conversing with them, 
as believing I shall commune with thoiii forever." 
So did Paul : for said he, " What is our hope, or joy, 
or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the pres- 
ence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For 
ye are our glory and joy." 

But what a difference between our meetings '^ face 
to face" on earth, and those we hope to enjoy in 
heaven ! ISTow our communions are few in number, 
often short in duration, and always liable to interrup- 
tion ; but none of these disadvantages will be known 
there. 

Here we are in a state of imperfection ; and we 
mistake each other ; and offences will come ; and we 
have frequently much to explain, much to excuse, 



THE ELECT LADY. 303 

much to forbear, and mucli to forgive ; but there, we 
shall be " without fault before the throne of God and 
of the Lamb." 

Here we are in a state of exposure to number- 
less afflictions and sorrows ;' and when we meet, 
if not ourselves in any trouble, our connections are, 
and we " weep with them that weep ;" and often en- 
dure, by syrdpath}'-, as much or more than the suf- 
ferers themselves. But there, nothing is to be seen, 
but joy and gladness ; nothing heard, but thanksgiving 
and the voice of melody. Here we always meet in 
a vale of tears — 

There on a green and flowery mount, 

Our weary souls shall sit ; 
And with transporting joys recount 

The labors of our feet. 

No vain discourse shall fill our tongue, 

Nor trifles vex our ear ; 
Infinite grace shall be our song, 

And God rejoice to hear. 

Millions of years our wondering eyes 

Shall o'ei' thy beauties rove. 
And endless ages we'll adore 

The glories of thy love. 

Forever his dear sacred name 

Shall dwell upon our tongue, 
And Jesus and Salvation be 

The close of every song. 



LECTURE XL 

THE DEFOEMED DAUGHTEE OF 
ABEAHAM. 

And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And, 
behold, there was a woman who had a spu'it of infirmity eighteen 
years, and was bowed together, and could in nowise lift up her- 
self. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said 
unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he 
laid his hands on her : and immediately she was made straight, 
and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue answered 
with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath 
day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men 
ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not 
on the Sabbath day. The Lord then answered him, and said, 
Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose 
his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering ? 
And ought not this woman, being £i daughter of Abraham, whom 
Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this 
bond on the Sabbath day ? And when he had said these things, 
all his adversaries were ashamed : and all the people rejoiced 
for all the glorious things that were done by him. 

Luke, xiii 10-17. 

This striking fact is recorded only by tlie Evan- 
gelist Luke ; and it has been mucb more rarely 
noticed than any of the Saviour's other signs and 



THE DEFORMED DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM. 305 

wonders. Like all liis miracles, ]t is " written, that 
we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of 
God; and that believing we may have life througli 
his name." 

But besides this, it seems to have had a peculiar 
and pleasing aim, like that of the miracle at the 
marriage in Cana of Galilee ; namely, to hold forth 
the Saviour in the milder rays of his glory ; display- 
ing not only his majesty, but his meekness ; not 
only- his benevolence, but his condescension ; not 
only his compassion, but his tenderness ; and even 
his regard for our feelings, as well as for our welfare. 

To give some order to our reflections on this 
miracle of mercy, let us 

I. Look at the Patient. 
II. Observe the Cure. 
And in. Examine the Influence. 

With regard I. To the Patient, we may 
observe — 

First^ Her Descent 

The Saviour calls her a '' daughter of Abraham ;" 
thus showing a regard for the venerable Patriarch, 
who lived so many ages before. There is something 
striking in the natural relationship to such an individ- 
ual ; but Abraham sustained a double paternity ; and 
we have reason to believe this woman was a daughter 
of Abraham not only as a Jewess, but also as a believer, 
being related to him in spirit as well as by blood. 



806 LECTURE XX. 

So, ttie Apostle sajs, "If ye be Christ's, tlien are ye 
Abraliam's seed:" and " They wlio are of faith are 
blessed with faithful Abraham." In like manner, 
the Saviour declares, "If ye were Abraham's chil- 
dren, ye would do the works of Abraham." 

But if this were her prerogative, we here see that 
"all things come alike to all;" and that, as to out- 
ward dispensation, "no man knoweth either love or 
hatred by all that is before him." If, in this respect, 
there be any difference between the righteous - and 
the wicked, it is often even in favor of the latter ; 
who "have no changes," and " fear not God ;" while 
"many are the afiQictions of the righteous." 

Secondly^ Observe her Condition. 

She labored under " a spirit of infirmity," and 
" was bowed together, and could in nowise lift up 
herself" Admitting that her afi&iction was not at- 
tended with the greatest degree of suffering or danger, 
yet it must have been very trying ; and especially so 
to a female, to whom beauty and figure belong ; who 
has an exquisite sensibility to personal appearance ; 
and who knows how much more she can attract, 
impress, and influence by external charms than hj 
superior accomplishments. Was it nothing to be 
slighted?- — nothing to be pointed at by the finger 
of scorn ? — nothing to be unable to look up and see 
the heavens? — nothiiig to be compelled to crouch 
beneath others, and to be almost enchained to the 
ground ? Yet " who knoweth what is good for 
man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he 
spendeth as a shadow?" How many have been 



THE DEFORMED DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM. 807 

constrained to say, "It is good for me that I have 
been afflicted." How many, after awhile, have 
blessed God for the effects of an accident or disorder, 
which once filled them with pain and dismay. It 
was the means of turning them from folly and vanity 
to the cultivation of the mind, and of inducing them 
to " seek those things which are above," and to prize 
" the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not 
corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet 
spirit, Avhich is in the sight of Grod of great price." 
And what is everything else, compared with this? 
" Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain ; but a 
woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised." 
" A gracious woman retaineth honor." 

Mephibosheth fell from his nurse's arms, and be- 
came a cripple for life ; yet, owing to his lameness, 
his life was preserved from destruction ; and he was 
appointed to eat meat at the king's table. And this 
woman, but for her deformity and affliction, would 
not have known the power and grace of the Saviour. 

Thirdly^ Observe The Infliction of the Evil. 

" Lo, Satan hath bound her." How are we to 
understand this ? It does not refer to a personal 
possession. Then, does the historian think with the 
wise, and speak with the vulgar ? The language 
accords with the common phraseology of the Jews at 
this period, and in earlier times. They were accus- 
tomed to personify qualities, and to ascribe everything 
strange, inexplicable, and ominous, to evil spirits. 
Thus, Saul's melancholy is called " an evil spirit from 
the Lord ;" and the abstemiousnes of John is ac- 
counted for by alleging, "he hath a devil." 



808 LECTURE XX. 

The truth is, diabolical influence is allowed by all 
professing Christians, except Socinians. It is observ- 
able that, even in the indictments of heinous criminals 
in our courts of justice, the language more than implies 
this. The Scripture is full of the doctrine ; and if 
Satan has the power of death, why not equally of dis- 
ease ? K his agency be not personal and immediate, 
it is not the less real. As he was the originator of 
all evil, so to him may be attributed all its results. 
Only, the Scripture employs his instrumentality to 
express his agency. Thus, Satan is said to desire to 
have Peter, that he might sift him as wheat; refer- 
ring to his fear and fall ; and he is said to cast 
Christians into prison, that is, by the persecution of 
unjust judges. Thus, also, in the afflictions of Job, 
Satan is represented as bringing all the evils upon 
him ; though the Sabeans, and the Chaldeans, and 
the natural elements, were the immediate causes of 
the whole. 

Fourthly^ Observe The Duration of her Confinement. 

It was no less than ^' eighteen years." Many 
complain of the length of their trials, when, perhaps, 
they have not been exercised so many weeks or 
months, as this woman had years. Let us compare 
conditions ; and before we exclaim, " Behold, and see, 
if ever there was sorrow like unto my sorrow ;" let 
us think of others. Let us think of ^neas, who had 
kept his bed eight years. Let us go to the pool of 
Bethesda, and see a man who had been a sufferer for 
thirty and eight years, and had "no one when the 
water was troubled, to put him into the pool." 

" Eighteen years !" — This is a long portion of 



THE DEFORMED DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM. 309 

life to be doomed to mortiiication and helplessness. 
Why does the Lord appoint those who are so dear 
to him to languish and suffer so long ? How gladly 
should we relieve a beloved relation or friend, if we 
had it in our power ; while he, by a single volition, 
could wipe away every tear from the eye. Yet our 
love, compared with his, is no more than as a drop 
to the ocean. But his love is as wise as it is great. 
He does what seemeth him good ; and what seems 
good to him, must be so. He cannot err. He has 
reasons for his conduct which will fully justify it 
when they are made known. 

He sometimes delays the relief of his suffering 
people, not because he takes pleasure in their pain, 
but for their profit ; " for he is a God of judgment ; 
and blessed are all they that wait for him." It is, 
therefore, " good that a man should both hope and 
quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." " He 
will not always chide ; neither will he keep his anger 
forever ; lest the spirit should fail before him, and 
the souls which he has made." 

" Hope deferred maketh the heart sick ;" and 
such sickness this poor creature had felt for eighteen 
years ; and long ago she had concluded that her case 
was desperate. 

"At evening time it shall be light." We have 
seen this Patient^ " a daughter of Abraham," yet 
deeply afflicted, and for " eighteen years bound by 
Satan," during which time she was so "bowed to- 
gether, that she could in nowise lift up herself." 

We now, 11. Observe the Cure. 



310 LECTURE XX, 

Mark the circamstances that attended it. They 
are four. 

The First circumstance is the Place^ where the 
work was performed. It was in the Synagogue. 
Synagogues were Jewish places of worship. The 
precise period of their introduction it is not easy to 
determine. They are supposed to have originated 
in Babylon, where the Jews were exiled from their 
own land. They were common, at the time of our 
Lord's appearance, in Judea, and indeed in all other 
places where Jews were to be found. They were 
not places of sacrifice, but of devotion and instruc- 
tion ; where the Scriptures were read and expounded, 
and where occasional exhortation was allowed. 

When our Saviour was near to the temple, we 
always find him worshipping there ; but when at a 
distance we find him attending in the synagogues. 
We do not wonder, therefore, that on this occasion 
he was in the synagogue ; but that this woman was 
there may produce surprise. It would expose her to 
observation ; and it must have been difficult to get 
her poor body there, especially if she was not dwell- 
ing in the neighborhood. This would have been 
deemed sufficient to exc^ise, if not justify, many a one 
for not attending the public assembly. But she was 
of another mind ; and it was well she was. What would 
she have lost, if she had been absent on this occa- 
sion ? Who can ever tell what he loses by absence 
from the house of God ? What did Thomas lose, by 
not being with the eleven, when Jesus showed them 
his hands and his side ? And who can tell what is 
gained by attendance, especially when persons exer- 



THE DEFORMED DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM. 311 

cise self-denial for this end ? " Them that honor 
me," says God, " I will honor." Few, therefore, 
feed with such a relish on the word, as those who 
come from a distance, and with many a weary step 
and difficult effort. 

This woman broke through difficulties in order 
to be found in her place ; and there she met with 
the Saviour. She had no expectation of the event. 
Her aim was to serve God, to hear his word, and to 
promote the welfare of her soul. She had no thought 
about her poor body ; jet she obtained the deliver- 
ance of that also ; for, if we " seek first the kingdom 
of God and his righteousness, other things shall be 
added:" and "godliness is profitable unto all things, 
having promise of the life that now is, and of that 
which is to come." 

The Second circumstance is the Time, It was 
"on the Sabbath," This season was sanctified by 
God himself from the beginning, when he had finished 
his work of creation. On this day the Saviour per- 
formed many of his miracles ; to show that he was 
the " Lord of the Sabbath," and that "it is lawful to 
do good on the Sabbath days." It is " the day 
which the Lord hath made," and in which he still 
accomplishes the wonders of his grace. 

This is seen in the deliverance of sinners from the 
bondage of corruption. Bound as they are by their 
evil propensities and confirmed habits, and "led 
captive by the devil at his will;" yet they have been 
released, and made " free indeed." " The Lord 
looseth the prisoners." 

It is seen in the release of distressed consciences, 



312 LECTUKE XX. 

bound and tied by guilt and fear, so that they could 
not lift up their soul to God : but " the Lord raiseth 
up them that are bowed down ;" he causeth the 
prisoners to go free ; he hath loosed my bonds." 

It is seen in the removal of his people from this 
present evil world. They have often been emanci- 
pated on the Sabbath. A remarkable instance of 
this is recorded by Mr. Howe, in a funeral sermon 
for Mrs. Esther Sampson. She had been confined to 
her bed eighteen years, and was released on a Sab- 
bath day. 

The Third circumstance is the Mode of the Cure. 
And here we find his eye, his tongue^ and his hands 
are all employed. His eye — He " saw her." — He 
surveyed all the worshippers. In one respect she 
was more noticeable than others, because of her de- 
formity ; but in others she was less visible : for she 
was probably almost concealed in the surrounding 
crowd by the lowness of her stature; and it is likely 
that she had stationed herself in an obscure part of 
the assembly ; yet, towards her, weU knowing her 
condition, her want, and her desire, with compassion 
and tenderness, Jesus directed his eye. 

His tongue — " He called her to him." " You, 
poor woman," probably addressing her by name ; 
'' draw near to me." What surprise must have 
seized her I " Whence could he know me ? And 
what can he want with me ?" Doubtless, afraid and 
ashamed, she was ready to shrink back at this expos- 
ure of her condition. Now every eye is turned 
towards her, as she creeps along. A breathless 
silence for a few moments prevailed, and then, he 



THE DEFORMED DAUGHTER^ OF ABRAHAM. 313 

audibly said to her, "Woman, thou art loosed from 
thy infirmity :" meaning, "thou shalt he loosed;" for 
he always spoke like himself, and with him purpose 
and accomplishment are the same. His will is action. 
" He speaks, and it is done ; he commands, and it 
stands fast." 

His hands — "He laid his hands on her." This 
was to awaken attention, and to show that the cure 
proceeded from himself His touch is vital. 

The fourth and last circumstance is the Speediness 
of the Operation: "and immediately she was made 
straight." Our Saviour sometimes wrought cures 
in cases which human skill and science could relieve — 
at least which they can now relieve ; but even then, 
the manner proclaimed the miracle. His operation 
was alw^ays successfal, perfect, and instantaneous. 
Fevers are removed by a course of medical treat- 
ment ; but when Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a 
fever, " he took her by the hand, and lifted her up ; 
and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered 
unto them." One day, dining with one of the chief 
of the Pharisees, there was a certain man before him 
who had the dropsy. It might have been possible to 
have gradually reduced the poor swollen creature to 
his ordinary size, but Jesas "took him, and healed 
him, and let him go." And so, in the case before 
us, both the thing and the manner were unique. 
The deformed curvature of this poor woman seems to 
have been natural ; it had been fixed for eighteen 
years ; and by no human process, but by a momentary 
imposition of hands, his work is perfect and com- 
plete. " He does all things well." 

14 



314 LECTURE XX. 

Men can now, hj means of conching, effect a cure 
in certain cases of blindness ; but when tlie operation 
is successful, the process is slow ; and it is long before 
the patient can use the organ, and endure the light ; 
but Jesu.s, in a moment, opened the beggar's eyes, 
and he went on seein'g. 

Let us notice, Sdly, The Influence of this 
MiEACULOus Cure. 

We see this exemplified in the four parties con- 
cerned. 

Firstj in the Patient herself. She " glorified God." 
And what wonder, considering the change she had ex- 
perienced : — now breathing freely — standing erectly- 
walking easily. Doubtless she was ready to exclaim, 
" Surely, this could have been accomplished by a 
divine power alone : surely, the kingdon of heaven 
is at hand : surely, this is the prophet who was to 
come into the world." Her mouth would express 
her gratitude and praise : " What shall I render unto 
the Lord for all his benefits towards me? Here I 
dedicate myself, health and strength, body and spirit, 
to his service who has made me whole." 

One thing should strike us all ; yet who is struck 
with it ? — namely, if this poor creature was gratefal 
for the recovery of her powers, after eighteen years 
of infirmity and destitution, what ought to be our 
thankfulness to the kindness of Providence for the 
uninterrupted preservation, the full and constant use 
of all? 

Secondly^ its influence upon the Ruler of the syna- 
gogue. "He answered," indeed, "with indignation, 
because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day ;" 



THE DEFORMED DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM. 315 

but he seemed afraid to look on the Saviour himself, 
who had performed the miracle. He therefore ad- 
dressed the people ; and instead of hailing the poor 
woman on her recover}^, he virtually censured her. 
He "said unto the people, There are six days in 
which men ought to work : in them, therefore, come 
and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day :" as if 
she had come intentionally for that purpose, though 
it does not appear that she had any thought of the 
kind. But suppose that she had ; was she to be 
blamed for seizing such an opportunity of getting 
relief? But when persons dislike a thing, it is easy 
to find fault with the doing of it ; and often the veil 
which is thrown over their dislike is slender, and 
easily seen through. The motive professed is often 
the least felt. Thus, here, the miracle was offensive, 
as it honored the Messiah. The complaint about 
the profanation of the Sabbath was a mere pretence. 
He could not be ignorant that the Saviour had not 
violated the fourth commandment. Had he himself 
been ill on the Sabbath, and had the Pharisees called 
in physicians to relieve him, he would not have sent 
them away, saying, "There are six days in which 
men ought to work ; on these I will seek to be 
healed, and not on the Sabbath day." ISTay, he knew 
that he himself did not keep his oxen and asses tied 
up all the Sabbath day. Our Lord, therefore, calls 
him a hypocrite, saying, " Thou hypocrite, doth not 
each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his 
ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering ? 
And ought not this woman, being a daughter of 
Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen 



816 LECTUKE XX. 

years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath 
day?" 

Thirdly^ its influence upon the Adverse Party on 
the same side. They seem to have been many; but 
"when he had said these things, all his adversaries 
were ashamed." They could no longer resist the 
truth : but perhaps they were confounded, rather than 
convinced ; for they made no frank acknowledgment. 

Fourthly^ its influence upon the Best of the Avdience. 
'' All the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that 
were done by him." " Have any of the rulers believed 
on him ?" but " the common people heard him gladly." 
His followers, for the most part, were among these. 
And, in general, the common people are more open 
to conviction, and more free from the influence of 
worldly prejudices and passions, than the rich and 
elevated and powerful: for "how can they believe, 
who receive honor one of another, and seek not the 
honor that cometh from God only?" 

In many cases, the people who rejoiced in what they 
saw and heard, afterwards fell away, and walked no 
more with him; and "Crucify" soon followed "Ho- 
sanna." The impression of recent mercies is often 
powerful, but not permanent. The goodness of many 
"is like the morning cloud, or the early dew, which 
soon passeth away." The Israelites often " sang his 
praise, but soon forgat his works." 

But, however this may have been with the beholders 
of this miracle, let us be careful that it be not the 
case with us, but that we cordially and practically 
" rejoice for all the glorious things which have been 
done by him ;" and which are " written for our learn- 



THE DEFORMED DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM. 317 

ing, that we tlirougli patience and comfort of the Scrip- 
tures may have hope." But " to him that knoweth 
to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin ;" for 
"unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be 
much required." 

From hence we may see, first^ how entitled the Lord 
Jesus is to our credence. He is not only able and 
willing to save and to bless, but he is infinitely author- 
ized to do it, "for him hath God the Father sealed." 
"The works," therefore saith he, "that I do in my 
Father's name, they bear witness of me. If I had not 
done among them the works which none other man 
did, they had not had sin ; but now they have no cloak 
for their sin." His miracles were not mere displays 
of power to make men wonder. They were suited to 
the condition and the wants of men ; and always had 
an end in view worthy of their execution ; and they 
were, in every instance, readilj^ and perfectly distin- 
guishable from the lying wonders of superstition. They 
were repeated and multiplied. They were performed 
publicly ; before enemies as well as friends ; in the 
road, in the synagogues, and on Sabbath days. 

Hence and forever from my heart 
I bid my doubt < and fears depart ; 
And to those hands my soul resign, 
Which bear credentials so divine. 

Secondly, we see what claims the Saviour has to 
our confidence. He is " the same yesterday, and to- 
day, and forever." What he did when on earth, he 
is surely able to do in heaven. What he did for 
the body, he can do for the soul. Say not, " that 
I could have access to him ! but he is no more in the 



318 LECTUKE XX. 

world ; and the heavens liave received him until the 
restitution of all things." Though he is no longer 
here corporeally, he is here really, spiritually, divinely ; 
" a very present help in trouble." You are nearer 
to him now, than this woman was in the synagogue. 
No case is below his notice. JSTo distress is beyond 
his reach. " He will not despise the prayer of the 
destitute, but will regard their prayer." 

Finally^ we see how deserving he is, not only of 
our credence and confidence, not only of our admira- 
tion and praise, but of our imitation. Let us, there- 
fore, seek to resemble him. "Let the same mind be 
in us, which was also in Christ Jesus;" being "fol- 
lowers of him, as dear children." We know you 
cannot perform miracles, but you can show mercy. 
You cannot, like him, raise the dead, recover the- 
sick, and relieve the deformed ; but you can " weep 
with them that weep;" you can secure "the blessing 
of him that was ready to perish;" you can "cause 
the widow's heart to sing for joy ;" you can resemble 
him who "went about doing good;" and "he that 
saith he abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk, 
even as he walked." 



LECTURE XXI. 



MARTHA AND MAEY. 

Now it came to pass as they went, that he entered into a certain 
village : and a certain woman named Martha received him into 
her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at 
Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered 
about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou 
not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone 'i bid her there- 
fore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, 
Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things : 
but one thing is needful : and Mary hath chosen that good part, 
which shall not be taken away from her. — Luke x. 38-42.* 

Biography is a species of history pecaliarlj inter- 
esting and useful. And in tHs the Bible excels. The 
sacred writers describe to the very life. They fear no 
displeasure ; they conceal no imperfection ; they spare 
no censure. 

And while they discover their impartiality, they 
equally prove their wisdom and prudence. This appears 
from the examples they delineate. What are philoso- 
phers, politicians, heroes, to the generality of man- 

* This Lecture has been previously published, in the Author's 
" Short Discourses for the Use of Families ;" but as it originally formed 
a part of the present series, it is deemed proper to include it in this 
volume. 



820 LECTTJEE XXI. 

kind? They may excite wonder, but they cannot 
produce imitation. They may indulge curiosity, but 
they cannot furnish motives, encouragements, cautions. 
But here we are led into private hfe ; we contemplate 
ordinary scenes ; we see goodness in our own relations 
and circumstances. We behold blemishes which we 
are to shun, excellencies which we are to pursue, ad- 
vantages which we are to acquire. 

Thus the Scripture becomes not a glaring comet, 
but " a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path." 

Pass we to the narrative before us. 

But previous to our advancing some general reflec- 
tions from the whole passage, it will be necessary to 
take notice of the characters here mentioned ; and to 
see wherein the one was to be censured, and the other 
to be commended. 

Perhaps it is needless to premise that both these 
females were good women. It is expressly said, that 
" Jesus loved Martha," as well as Mary. And we are 
informed that when our Saviour was coming to Beth- 
any, after the death of Lazarus, "Martha, as soon as 
she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him, 
but Mary sat still in the house." These two sisters 
did not differ in their religious character, as Jacob and 
Esau ; Saul and David ; Peter and Jiidas ; but only, 
one of them was less influenced by her principles in 
this instance than the other; for our Lord does not 
condemn her general conduct, but her present action ; 
and even this he does not censure absolutely, but com- 
paratively. Some things may be said in commen- 
dation of Martha, and others in extenuation. 

She discovered a noble freedom from the fear of 



MARTHA AND MARY. 321 

man — " she received him into her house ;" when it was 
well known that he was pursued by the heads of the 
Jewish nation. His entrance could not be hid ; he 
had many with him. She also discovered kmdness 
and hospitality in her concern to provide for our Lord 
and his disciples, and in deeming nothing too good 
for them. I like also her attention to the affairs of 
her own household. Thongh she was a woman of 
some consequence, she does not deem it beneath her 
to attend even to the economy of the table ; yea, even 
to serve with her own hands when an emergency 
required. An affectation of state and of delicacy in 
the mistress of a family, has occasioned disorders, 
wastes, and embarrassments, which have ended in the 
ruin of many houses. The mother of Lemuel, in 
characterizing a wife, even for a prince, in those days 
— tells him, among other things — that "she riseth 
also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her 
household, and a portion to her maidens," — that " she 
looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth 
not the bread of idleness." 

Some things also may be said in excuse for Martha. 
She was the mistress of the house, and it was her prov- 
ince to provide. This appears to have been a sudden 
occurrence ; many came in unawares ; and perhaps 
she was unfurnished — and this would naturally create 
hurry, confusion, uneasiness. 

But, after all that can be said in justification of 
Martha, our Saviour reproves her. She was therefore 
blameworthy ; for his judgment is always according to 
truth. He could read the state of the mind ; he could 
weigh motives ; he could distinguish circumstances. 

14-^ 



322 LECTUKE XXI. 

And from wliat lie lias mentioned, we may conclude 
that tliere was in lier a considerable share of domestic 
vanity. I advert to tliat vanity wliich makes religion 
exclaim over thoughtless profusion, " Why is this 
waste? Are there no charities to sustain — are there 
no hungry wretches to feed — no naked ones to clothe ?" 
I advert to that vanity which descends lower than pride 
in dress or furniture, which commonly attends wealth 
newly-acquired, and adheres to vulgar minds, incapable 
of discerning that simplicity is essential to elegance : 
a vanity whose empire is as large as the table ; a vanity 
which collects all its praise from sordid appetite ; a 
vanity which, while it entertains the body of a visitor, 
generally starves the mind. 

The Shunamite, on a similar occasion, discovered 
much more good sense than Martha. She wished to 
entertain Elisha ; but she considered character ; she 
would not even suppose that a prophet of the Lord 
required splendor or luxury ; she therefore said unto 
her husband, "Behold now, I perceive that this is a 
holy man of Grod which passeth by us continually. 
Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the 
wall ; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, 
and a stool, and a candlestick'; and it shall be when 
he Cometh to us, that he shall turn in hither." But 
Martha, instead of' a plain repast, "was cumbered 
about much serving;" and was all anxiety to furnish 
an entertainment which, while it was rendered un- 
necessary by the plainness and piety of the visitants, 
allowed her no degree of leisure, and engrossed all her 
time and attention. Thus she deprived heiself of 
an opportunity to hear our Saviour's discourse. This 
she should have prized. He was no ordinary teacher ; 



MARTHA AND MARY. 823 

his sta}- was not likely to be of long continuance ; 
she knew not when the blessing would come again in 
her way. 

This was not all. She rudely breaks * in upon the 
devotion of the company, interrupts our Lord's dis- 
course, condemns her sister as idle, and tries to involve 
our Saviour in the quarrel: "Lord, dost thou not 
care that my sister hath left me to serve alone ? Bid 
her therefore that she help me." Here we see ill 
humor, fretfulness. She is " troubled about many 
things ;" and, in her haste and heat, she loses the 
command of her temper and the government of her 
tongue. 

But behold Mary. All reverence, all attention, all 
composure, feeding on the doctrine of eternal life — she 
" sat at his feet." She wisely and zealously improved 
the opportunity given her for the good of her soul. 
" This is my summer, my harvest ; let me redeem 
the time." 

It must have distressed Mary to hear her sister so 
passionately complain of her ; and many a one in her 
circumstances would have replied, " Why could she 
not have called me aside, and have spoken to me 
alone ? Why expose me before the whole house ? If 
I have not been so attentive to other things, surely the 
occasion will plead some excuse." But not a word 
of this nature. The calm silence of this good woman 
seems to say, ^' I leave my defence to him. He is 
near that justifieth me." Kor was she mistaken. He 
more than vindicates ; — ^he applauds her preference ; 
and tells Martha that he will not comply with her 
demand, to send Mary to her assistance, but will suffer 



824 ^ LECTURE XXI. 

her to remain listening at his feet, and still enjoying 
the privilege she had-chosen. It is the meaning of 
his declaration when he said; "Martha, Martha, thou 
art careful and troubled about many things : but one 
thing is needful : and Mary hath chosen that good 
part, which shall not be taken away from her." 

But what is here said of a particular instance of 
pious disposition will apply to religion at large. To 
render this passage of Scripture, therefore, more gener- 
ally useful, let me call upon you, 

I. To CONSIDER THE DILIGENCE OF THE SAYIOUR 

IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF TIME. He gocs about doing 
good. His lips drop as the honeycomb. He always 
pays for his entertainment. In the parlor as well 
as the temple, he furnishes admonition and counsel. 
No sooner does he enter this house than we find him 
teaching. 

Let us follow his example. Ministers should not 
be backward to speak unless before large and public 
assemblies. The Apostles, like their Saviour, not 
only taught publicly, but " from house to house." 
Christians should labor to be useful wherever they 
are : every place, every company, should be the better 
for them. They should render friendly, and even 
ordinary visits edifying. Eeligion is not to be con- 
fined to the Church or the Sabbath. It is not to be 
a dress, which you may assume or lay aside at pleas- 
ure: it is a nature; a life. It is to keep us "in 
the fear of the Lord all the day long :" to enter busi- 
ness with us ; to attend us in all our common actions ; 
and to teach us that '^whether we eat or drink, or 



MARTHA AND MARY. 325 

whatsoever ^ve do, we should do it to the glory of 
God." Hence we arc commanded to "comfort one 
another ; to exhort one another ; to provoke one 
another to love, and to good words, and so much the 
more as we see the day approaching." But, alas! 
who does not stand reproved and condemned ? " Are 
we not carnal, and walk as men?" Do we " redeem 
the time, because the days are evil"? Does "no 
communication proceed out of our mouth, but such 
as is good, to the use of edifying, that it may minister 
grace to the hearers"? Shall* " vain words never 
have an end"? — " A word fitly spoken, how good is 
it! it is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." 

II. Observe how improper it is for a follower 
OF THE Lord Jesus to be sensual and selfish. 
Mary, who hears his word, pleases him better than 
Martha, who prepares his meal : yea, Martha even 
grieves him by her assiduity to entertain him. He 
would rather feed than be fed. He "pleased not 
himself." He shunned every kind of self-indulgence. 
He " came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, 
and to give his • life a ransom for manj^" And, call- 
ing ourselves by his name, are we fanciful ? are we 
finical ? are we fond of giving trouble ? are we slaves 
to our appetites? are we desirous of dainty meat? 
" He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also 
so to walk even as he walked. They that are Christ's 
have crucified the flesh, with the afiections and lusts." 

Especially should ministers be like-minded with 
their Lord and Master. They often at least occasion 
excess, and draw upon themselves reflection. The 



826 LECTUEE XXI. 

preparations made to receive them would imply a 
fondness for extravagance, variety, delicacy. Let 
tliem attest tlieir innocency. Let them show their 
people that they seek not theirs, but them. Let them, 
by their words and actions, discountenance parade and 
excess. Are circumstances of this kind beneath our 
attention? Is it not one of the lessons which the 
passage before us is designed to teach? When our 
Saviour sent forth his Apostles, did not his admonitions 
turn principally upon this subject? For things, in 
themselves of less importance than others, become 
weighty by their connections, their influence, their 
indications. A feather, or a straw, may serve to dis- 
cover the direction of the wind, as well as a tree. What 
a fatal secret does that preacher betray, who shows 
that he minds earthly things I 

III. We see what diversities there are in the 
FOLLOWERS OF OUR LoRD. Even the good ground 
brought forth in various proportions — thirty — sixty — 
an hundred fold. What a difference was there between 
the faith of the Centurion and of Thomas ! Abraham 
and Lot were both righteous ; but how imperfect does 
the nephew appear, compared with the uncle ! 

Many things diversify the degree and the exercises 
of religion. Thus the stations in which Providence 
places good men differ; one shall be favorable to 
devotion, another shall afford less leisure and create 
more distraction. Constitutional temperament also 
has its influence. Thus some Christians are more 
inclined to contemplation and the shades ; others are 
formed for the active virtues. The difficulties which 



MARTHA AND MAEY. 327 

chill the timid serve only to rouse and animate the 
bold and courageous. Religion, like water, partakes 
a little of the nature of the soil over which it runs. 
The very same truth was revealed both to Nebuchad- 
nezzar and Daniel — The succession of the four mon- 
archies. Nebuchadnezzar was a king and a conqueror ; 
and admired things m proportion to their worldly 
grandeur. Accordingly he viewed these empires as 
an image whose brightness was excellent, the head of 
which was fine gold, and the subordinate parts of 
inferior metal. Daniel was a man of peace and of 
wisdom; and to him they appeared "as four great 
beasts, coming up out of the sea, diverse from each 
other : the first a lion with wings ; the second a bear 
with three ribs in his mouth ; the third a leopard with 
four wings of a fowl, and four heads ; and the fourth 
dreadful and terrible, with great iron teeth." Take 
an illustration from it. Imagine four persons — one 
phlegmatic, another choleric, a third sanguine, and the 
fourth melancholic. Drop religious truth into each of 
these — and do you suppose that it will not receive a 
tinge from each peculiar temperament ? In all these 
cases something of the original character will remain. 
And I always view it as a considerable evidence of 
sincerity, when religion, if I may use the expression, 
acts naturally : it shows that people are off their guard ; 
that they have not a particular part given them to 
act. For, were this the case, they would resemble 
one another much more nearly ; and a dull, constrained 
uniformity would prevail. Thus it is with pretenders. 
If a man of humor profess religion without pos- 
sessing it, he will keep a check upon himself; and, 



828 LECTUEE XXI. 

bj means of this, appear grave and formal ; but if lie 
be really a partaker of religion, we sliould expect tliat 
bis natural character will commonly show itself even 
in his duties ; it will indeed be regulated, but not 
destroyed. 

lY. We may meet with hindeeances in eeligion" 

FEOM THOSE WHO SHOULD BE OUE ASSISTANTS! Such 

are friends and relations. A wife should cherish good 
impresssions, fan the flame of devotion, and be a helper 
to her husband in spiritual as well as in temporal 
concerns — ^but she may prove a seducer : she may lead 
him into vanity and the dissipations of the world. 
Michal ridicules the holy joy of David. A brother 
may discourage a brother. A sister may reproach and 
repel a sister. Our foes may be those of our own 
household. 

Yea, even by religious friends and relations we may 
sometimes be injured. Instead of making straight 
paths for our feet, they may throw stumbling blocks in 
our way. They may press "hard sayings," before 
the mind is prepared to receive them. They may 
discourage us by their expressions of assurance and 
ecstasy. They may be wanting in sympathy. They 
may censure and condemn our actions, from ignorance 
of our circumstances and motives. 

Y. How ANXIOUS SOEVEE WE MAY BE ABOUT MANY 
THINGS, ONE THING ALONE EEALLY DESEEVES OUE 

ATTENTION : — " One thing is needful." It is, hearing 
the Saviour's words; it is an attention to the soul; 
it is Eeligion. What, is nothing else necessary ? — 



MAETHA AND MARY. 829 

Yes ; many things. But, compared with this, they 
are less than nothing and vanit}^ Other things are 
accidentally needful — this is essentially so. Other 
things are occasionally needful — this is invariably so. 
Other things are partially needful — this is universally 
so — ^needful for prosperity and adversity ; needful for 
the body and the soul ; needful for time and eternity. 
Some things are needful for some individuals, but 
not for others ; but this is needful for all : needful for 
kings and subjects ; needful for rich and poor ; need- 
ful for old and young. 

If indeed we judge of it by the people of the world, 
we shall not think so when we look around us. The 
many seem to be prizing and pursuing everything in 
preference to this. Instead of viewing it as essential 
to man, they seem ©nly to regard it as a circumstance 
of his being and his welfare, which may safely be 
dispensed ^^dth. But let us take the testimony of 
God. What saith the Scripture? "Wisdom is the 
principal thing : therefore get wisdom : and with all 
thy getting get understanding. Let us hear the 
conclusion of the whole matter : fear God, and keep 
his commandments ; for this is the whole duty of 
man." " Yes," says the Saviour, " one thing is need- 
ful." Hence we find David and Paul reducing every 
concern into one. " One thing have I desired of 
the Lord, that will I seek after ; that I may dwell 
in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to 
behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his 
temple." This one thing I do ; forgetting those 
things which are behind, and reaching forth unto 
those things which are before." 



830 LECTURE XXI. 

Finally. It is worthy of our remark, that REAL 

GODLINESS IS NOT ONLY A NECESSARY, BUT A DURABLE 

ACQUISITION. "Mary hath chosen that good part, 
which shall not be taken away from her." Perma- 
nency adds bliss to bliss. Some things are not worth 
preservation; but an invaluable treasure, a thing 
absolutely needful, will awaken all our concern, and 
we shall be anxious no"t only to possess it, but also to 
retain it. 

And what a difference is there in this view, between 
religion and other advantages ! Nothing that we here 
possess can be called our own. What v/e acquire 
with so much difdculty it is impossible to secure. If 
we choose honors, riches, pleasures, friendships, they 
will be sure to fail us, and to fail us often when we 
most need their aid. But the iDlessings we derive 
from godliness are our own forever. They are not 
liable to those numberless accidents which so easily 
deprive us of earthly possessions. No violence, no 
fraud, can rob us of them. " Our joy no man taketh 
from us." Our treasure " moth and rust cannot 
corrupt, nor thieves break through and steal." Even 
the desolations of death, which strip us of everything 
else, cannot touch the believer's portion : he can carry 
all his goods along with him into another world, where 
they will be forever increasing. It is an " inherit- 
ance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not 
away." Surely religion is wisdom — ^and " wisdom is 
justified of all her children." 

This review, therefore, should more than satisfy 
those who, like Mary, have chosen this good part. 
Your choice will bear re-consideration. The more 



MAETHA AND MARY. 331 

you examine it, the more worthy of all your regard 
will it appear. Be not ashamed to own it. Let 
religion be your boast, as well as your comfort. What 
is there to excite a blush ? What, in importance 
and continuance, are the pursuits and acquisitions of 
the most admired of your fellow- creatures, compared 
with yours ? 

It should also influence those who have not made it. 
And, Oh that I could induce you to decide, and to 
decide this evening I I say, this evening, because you 
are not sure of another season. I say, this evening, 
because every, delay adds to the difficulty of your 
choice. I say, this evening, because there is nothing 
so urgent ; nothing that can equally claim or reward 
your attention. 

Should you be induced to " neglect this great sal- 
vation," what will be your reflections in a dying hour, 
and before the bar of God ? What will you think in 
endless misery of those follies and vanities for which 
you sacrificed eternal life? " What is a man profited 
if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? or 
what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ?" 

He who approved an applauded Mary's choice is 
here this evening to witness yours. He sees you, he 
hears you ; he is waiting to be gracious, and exalted 
to have mercy upon you. You must sit at his feet 
as a disciple, or be made his footstool as an enemy. 
What is the choice you intend to make? "I call 
heaven and earth to record this day against you, that 
I have set before you life and death, blessing and 
cursing : therefore choose life, that both thou ana thy 
seed may live." 



LECTURE XXII. 

L T'S WIFE. 

Remember Lot's wife. — Luke xvii. 32. 

The people of Sodom were proverbially wicked 
above all men. Provoked by tbeir abominations, 
God resolved to take vengeance. But shall lie hide 
from Abraham the thing which he will do ? Abra- 
ham being informed, immediately became an inter- 
cessor ; but so general was the corruption, that not 
ten righteous persons could be found there. 

In the eveninof before the threatened destruction, 
two angels came to Lot, as he was sitting in the 
gate of Sodom. These were appointed to be, the 
executioners ; and after themselves observing some 
of the crying enormities of the place, as if they could 
no longer endure the scene, they said unto Lot; 
" Hast thou here any besides ? Son-in-lavf , and thy 
sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast 
in the city, bring them out of this place : for we will 
destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen 
great before the face of the Lord ; and the Lord hath 
sent us to destroy it." 



lot's wife. 333 

Apprized of the impending evil, and full of affec- 
tionate anxiety and dread, " Lot went out, and spake 
unto his sons-in-law who married his daughters, and 
said, Up, get you out of this place ; for the Lord will 
destroy this city. But he seemed unto them as one 
that mocked." 

"And when the morning arose, then the angels 
hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy 
two daughters, who are here ; lest thou be consumed 
in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, 
the man laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand 
of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters ; 
the Lord being merciful unto him : and they brought 
him forth, and set him without the city. And it 
came to pass, when they had brought them forth 
abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life ; look not 
behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain ; escape 
to the mountains, lest thou be consumed." 

" But his wife looked back from behind him, and 
she became a pillar of salt :" — petrified into a sub- 
stance which would endure the assaults of time. 
Josephus declares that he saw it standing in his days. 
But what has now become of it ? 

The statue is no longer visible to the eye of sense ; 
but it can be yet seen by the eye of faith. Here it 
is, in *' the word of the Lord, which endureth forever." 
Let us solemnly approach it, and read the motto with 
which it is inscribed : " Eemember Lot's Wife !" 

This motto was inscribed by the Lord himself; 
and requires us to consider three things : — The Sin : 
— The Punishment : — The Admonition. 

1. The Sin. " She looked back from behind him." 



884 LECTUEE XXII. 

And was this so criminal a deed? In answer to 
this, we observe, that sins are not to be judged of only 
or principally by their grossness, but hj tbeir guilt ; 
tbat tbeir guilt arises from their aggravations; and 
that their aggravations arise from circumstances wliicb 
often fall not under our cognizance, but are subject 
only to the judgment of Grod, who " seeth not as 
man seeth ; for man looketh on the outward appear 
ance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." 

In the Scriptures we frequently find crimes appar- 
ently trivial, followed with direfal inflictions; and 
why ? — Because what appears trivial to us, is an 
abomination in the sight of Grod. Is he not " a Grod 
of knowledge, by whom actions are weighed " ? Is 
he not merciful ? and would he punish a slight offence 
with a tremendous severity? " Is there unrighteous- 
ness with Grod ? How then shall Grod judge the 
world? Shall not the Judge of all the earth do 
right?" 

What was involved in this retrospection ? 

Her looking back betrayed Idle and Wanton Curi- 
osity. We are far from supposing that curiositj^ is 
pecuhar to the female sex ; yet it may be allowed that 
there is no want of this propertj^ in their composition. 
Lot's wife's curiosity destroyed herself. Dinah's curi- 
osity destroyed a city. Eve's curiosity destroyed a 
world. 

The Scriptures never encourage curiosity. When 
a man asked our Lord, '' Are there few that shall be 
saved?" "Instead of seeking to know this," replied 
our Saviour, " Strive to enter in at the strait gate ; 
for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and 



lot"s wife. 335 

shall not be able/' When Peter, not satisfied, with 
being informed of his own destiny and duty, wished to 
pry into those of John, and asked: ''Lord, and what 
shall this man do ?" he answered, "What is that to 
thee ? follow thou me." 

Let us guard against the intemperance of specu- 
lation. Paul reproves the man who " intrudes into 
those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed 
up by his fleshly mind." " The secret things," says 
Moses, "belong unto the Lord our God: but those 
things which are revealed belong unto us and to our 
children." Prying into the affairs of our neighbors 
is often impertinent and injurious ; but prying into 
the deep things of God is presumptuous and sinful. 
Let us acquiesce in the limits which reason and reve- 
lation have fixed to our inquiries. Let us be satisfied 
with plain and practical truth ; and with tilings clear 
and important. The religious controversies, which 
have exhausted so much attention, and spoiled so 
much temper, have commonly turned upon matters 
too obstruse for human comprehension, or too un- 
profitable to merit regard. 

Again, this looking back betrayed Unbelief. She 
not only wished to see how the thing was to be done, 
but whether it would be done at all. The threatening 
had declared that the place should be destroyed by 
fire and brimstone ; but whence should these come ? 
Who had ever heard of such a rain as this? She 
therefore questions the thing, and looks back to see 
whether the menace is fulfilled. 

Circumstances appeared to excite and favor her 
suspicion. There seemed no probability of the event. 



836 LECTUKE XXII. 

The sun had risen upon the earth ; the sky was clear ; 
the elements foreboded no change ; she could not 
therefore think that so large a city, full of inhabitants, 
and all the adjacent plains, cou.ld be immediately deso- 
lated, without any previou.s indication. 

And does not this remind us of the language of 
Peter, " There shall come in the last days scoffers, 
walking after their own lusts, and saying, where is 
the promise of his coming ? for since the fathers fell 
asleep, all things continue as they were from the be- 
ginning of the creation:" — ^thus fetching arguments 
against revelation from nature and providence ; and 
lulling themselves into fancied security, "crying. Peace, 
peace, when there is no peace." 

There is always enough in the constitution and 
dispensation of things around us to try our faith in 
God's word ; and to render it a moral, as well as an 
intellectual exercise. But, with regard to all that is 
revealed, we ought to say with Paul, in another case, 
"I believe Grod, that it shall be even as it was told 
me." For this shall assuredly be the case, however 
unlikely the accomplishment may appear, or whatever 
dif&culties may stand in the way. 

God had threatened Babylon with destruction ; but 
she said, "I shall be a lady for ever, and shall see no 
sorrow." Therefore God declared by his Prophet, 
" Evil shall come upon thee ; thou shalt not know 
from whence it riseth : and mischief shall fall upon 
thee ; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and deso- 
lation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou 
sbalt not know." And was it not so ? Most exactly 
and minutely ; for in one night a walled city, so strong 



lot's wife. 337 

that it seemed impossible to enter it, and so stored 
witli provisions that it was hopeless to think of reduc- 
ing it by famine, was at once taken and destroyed. 

When Joshua took Jericho, "he burned the city 
with fire and all that was therein;" and he said, 
" Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up 
and buildeth this city Jericho : he shall lay the foun- 
dation thereof in his first-born, and in his youngest 
son shall he set up the gates of it." For several 
hundred years this tremendous curse seemed to be a 
dead letter ; but when, in the impious reign of Ahab, 
the city was rebuilt by Hiel, for his daring impiety he 
suffered the fearful penalty that had been denounced : 
for, says the sacred historian, " He laid the foundation 
thereof in Abiram his first-born, and set up the gates 
thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the 
word of the Lord, which he spake by Joshua the son 
of ISTun."' — " Be not faithless, but believing." 

Further, this looking back betrayed Disobedience. 
It was a presumptuous disregard of God's express 
order. The injunction given to Lot was perfectly 
plain: "Look not behind you." BQs wife had prob- 
ably heard this when uttered by the angel himself; 
or if not, it had certainly been repeated to her by her 
husband. She could not, therefore, be ignorant of 
the command; but she was unconcerned about it. 
The command was reasonable in itself, it was easy of 
performance, and it regarded her own welfare ; yet 
she contemned it, and she " looked back." 

All pretensions to religion without obedience are 
vain and useless. " K we know these things, happy 
are we," only, " if we do them." When Saul spared 

15 



388 LECTURE XXII. 

Agag, and the best of the spoil, contrar}^ to the 
express command of Grod, thongh under a specious 
pretence, Samuel said, "Eebellion is as the sin of witch- 
craft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. 
Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he 
hath also rejected thee from being king." 

Yet who . escapes this charge of disobedience ? 
Sinner, does not your conscience testify against you, 
that you have, not only in a particular case, but in a 
general, a constant course of action, disobeyed '' the 
voice that speaketh from heaven" ? If God were to 
make pillars of salt of all those who live in opposi- 
tion to his revealed will, we should find no place for 
the soles of our feet. 

Again, her action betrayed Ingratitude. Favors 
conferred demand suitable returns. David, there- 
fore, asks, " What shall I render unto the Lord for 
all his benefits toward me?" And he could say, 
" I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice 
and my supphcations. O Lord, truly I am thy ser- 
vant ; I am thy servant, and the son of thine hand- 
maid : thou hast loosed my bonds. I will offer to 
thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon 
the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the 
Lord, now, in the presence of all his people." 

Many persons, when God has appeared for them, 
feel gratefal for the time ; and even the Jews, upon 
their various deliverances, would sing his praise, and 
bless his name. But this woman was void of every 
grateful feeling ; for how striking and distinguishing 
was the Lord's favor in saving herself, and her hus- 
band, and their daughters, from the horrible over- 



lot's wife. 389 

throw; in saving them only; and in providing a 
Zoar for their security and accommodation? Yet 
all this seems as nothing in her eyes ; and instead of 
saying, " What return can we make for mercy such 
as this? shall we, after experiencing such a deliver- 
ance, break his commands?" she immediately incurs 
the guilt of the most daring opposition to his will. 

Again, her looking back betrayed attachment to a 
place, wicked and devoted to destruction. She la- 
mented her loss, and wished to regain what she had 
left. Our Lord intimates this when he says, ''In 
that day, he who shall be upon the housetop, and his 
stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it 
away; and he that is in the field, let him likewise 
not return back. Eemember Lot's wife." 

The situation and scenery of Sodom were delight- 
ful ; and all around was pleasant, and fertile as the 
garden of the Lord. There were the companions 
and friends congenial with her feelings. There were 
the haunts of amusement and dissipation in which 
her soul delighted. Ye endeared objects and attrac- 
tions! must I leave you forever? If Lot had then 
addressed her, as ISTaomi addressed her daughters-in- 
law, "Turn again, why will ye go with me?" she 
would have availed herself of the license ; and, after 
embracing him, would have gladly returned ; and have 
settled in Sodom, had it been remaining : or, if her 
relationship to her husband and daughters had pre- 
vented this, there she would have been in intention 
and desire. Just as the Israelites are said to have 
"turned back" into Egypt, in their heart; though 
they never actually marched back ; so it was with 



340 LECTUKE XXII. 

Lot's wife ; lier soul was in Sodom, though her body 
was in the plain. 

Thus she stands, a representative of those who 
love the present evil world. The command is, 
" Arise ye, and depart hence ; for this is not your 
rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, 
even with a sore destruction." It is a sink of sin, 
and " lieth in wickedness." It is unworthy of your 
regard, not only as it is vain and wicked, but also 
because it "is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to 
be burned." Whatever happiness you may hope to 
derive from its honors, riches, and attractions, it is a 
faneral pile, and all the works therein will soon oe 
dissolved. Therefore, " love not the world, neither 
the things that are in the world. If any man love 
the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 

See the character given of those who attach them- 
selves to the world, and have no heart for Grod : "Ye 
adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the 
friendship of the world is enmity with God ? Who- 
soever therefore will be a friend of the world is the 
enemy of Grod." 

Yiew, then, the world properly, and ''come out 
from it, and be separate, and touch not the unclean 
thing." Beware of a mere profession of godhness, 
while the heart is influenced by the world. In vain 
you profess to depart from it, and leave your souls 
behind. Henry, when dying, said to his physican 
three times, " Beware of the world ; — beware of the 
world; — ^beware of the world." A hankering after 
it win prevent all religious decision ; and in time 
wiU destroy every serious impression, and stifle every 



lot's wife. 341 

holy conviction. " Demas," says the Apostle, " hath 
forsaken me, having loved this present world." 

Again, in the action of Lot's wife, we see the 
Image of an Apostate. She began well, but she did 
not hold on. Our Saviour, therefore, uses her as the 
representative of those 

Who walk the ways of God no more, 
And make their own destruction sure. 

" No man, having put his hand to the plough, and 
looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Of 
many it may be said, as it was of Ephraim ; " Your 
goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew 
it passeth away." Like the Gralatians, they " did 
run well, but were hindered." They "began in the 
Spirit," but ended in the flesh. Many who once 
heard the Gospel with attention and delight, now 
treat it with neglect, and even insult. Many who 
once had the worship of God in their families, morn- 
ing and evening, have now turned him out of doors, 
and are living, " without God in the world." Many 
are convinced, but not converted ; reformed, but not 
renewed. But what is it to be "not far from the 
kingdom of heaven," and yet at last "shut out"? 
" He that endureth to the end, the same shall be 
saved ;" — and only he. " For if, after they have 
escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowl- 
edge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are 
again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end 
is worse with them than the beginning. For it had 
been better for them not to have known the way of 
righteousness, than, after they have known it, to 



342 LECTURE XXII. 

turn from tlie holy commandment delivered unto 
them." 

Observe again, The sin of Lot^s wife was enhanced 
hy her Resisting the Force of Example. Not even did 
either of her daughters look back ; and her husband 
she saw, before her, obediently pressing onward ; and 
by every step he took saying, " Follow me." 

We ought to go forward in a good cause, even if 
we are without the company and countenance of 
others ; yet it is an advantage to see others preced- 
ing us in the way ; and it is an aggravation of crim 
inahty to disregard such excitements and encourage- 
ments. But even good, and eminent, and endeared 
examples, and although the observance of them may 
be enforced by influence and authority, are not suffi- 
cient of themselves to counteract sinful propensities. 
If nothing more were necessary, we should not have 
pious masters complaining of wicked servants ; nor 
godly parents weeping over licentious children ; nor 
ministers lamenting that they " have run in vain, and 
labored in vain." 

Finally, She employed Artifice and Hypocrisy in aid 
of her design. It is not mentioned without reason, 
that " she looked back from behind him^ She took 
this position, as knowing that there he could not ob- 
serve her. By thus endeavoring to act secretly and 
unseen, she proved that she was convinced of the 
sinfalness of her action ; and so she " condemned her- 
self in the thing which she allowed." 

It is a sad thing to fear restraint from evil, whereas 
we ought to deem every hinderance a benefit ; a sad 
tiling to wish for license and liberty to sin, which is 



843 

to put ourselves into tlie way of temptation. If we 
are inflammable, we should not go near sparks. 
Thougli Judas must have been aware of his covetous 
disposition, he desired to carry the bag, and bear 
what was put therein. And in like manner, this 
woman evinced her folly as well as her guilt. Had 
she been concerned to avoid transgressing the divine 
commandment, she would not have placed herself in 
a situation favorable to the committing of the sin; 
but, instead of falling behind her husband, she would 
have walked before him, or have kept by his side. 
Thus, she succeeded in eluding the notice of her hus- 
band ; for while he was attentive to his own safety, 
and supposed that she was equ.ally attentive to hers, 
he saw her not ; yea, he could not see her without 
looking back, and so exposing himself. But while 
holding her crime from the eyes of Lot, she could not 
conceal it from Him, whose " eyes are as a flame of 
fire." " There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, 
where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves." 
" Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no 
covering." 

We have seen the Sin of Lot's wife ; let us now 
view, 

n. Her Punishment. "She looked back from 
behind him, and she became a Pillar of SalV 

"Sin and sorrow," says Bacon, "are bound to 
each other by an adamantine chain." God himself 
cannot break that chain. He does not break it even 
with regard to those who are pardoned and saved ; 
for if they live, their ransom died. " Christ lias re- 



344 LECTURE XXII. 

deemed them from tlie cnrse of the law," by being 
" made a curse for them." 

In all well-ordered governments crimes are pun- 
ished ; and shall they escape in the empire of God ? 
Is he not '^ of purer eyes than to behold iniquity " ? 
Is he not " righteous in all his ways, and holy in all 
his works " ? As the moral ruler of the universe, he 
is concerned to maintain order, and sin is the viola- 
tion of that order : he is determined to secure the 
welfare of the universe, and sin is the destruction of 
that welfare. His " wrath, therefore, is revealed from 
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of 
men :" — revealed in the Scriptures of truth ; — ^in the 
apprehensions of conscience ; — and in the penalties 
actually inflicted upon communities, families, and in- 
dividuals. He is bound by oath not to spare the 
guilty, and " he cannot deny himself" 

" And she became a pillar of salt." The punish- 
ment has four characters. 

First^ It was Sudden. She looked, and in a mo- 
ment her body was lifeless ; — 'her soul, where ?■ — 'In a 
general way, Grod is long-suffering, " not willing that 
any should perish ?" and his long-suffering is designed 
to "lead to repentance." But "because sentence 
against an evil work is not executed speedily, there- 
fore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them 
to do' evil." Yet, surely, divine patience should not 
excite a hope of impunity. 

" The wages" of sin is death ;" and sometimes the 
workman is paid immediately. The sinner is some- 
times surprised in the very act of iniquity. Herod, 
in the elation of pride and vanity, "was smittten by 



345 

an angel, and was eaten of worms." Nebuchadnez- 
zar " walked in liis palace in the kingdom of Babylon. 
And he spake and said, Is not this great Babjdon, 
that I have built for the house of the kingdom, by 
the might of my power, and for the honor of my 
majesty? While the word was in J. is mouth, there 
fell a voice from heaven, sajdng, king Nebuchad- 
nezzar, to thee it is spoken ; thy kingdom is departed 
from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and 
thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field : 
they shall make tliee to eat grass as oxen, and seven 
times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the 
Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth 
it to whomsoever he will. The same hour was the 
thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar : and he was 
driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his 
body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs 
were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like 
birds' claws."^* Belshazzar made an impious feast, and 
was profaning the vessels of the sanctuary. '' In the 
same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand," writing 
his doom ; and " in that night was Belshazzar slain." 
The lie of Gehazi was instantly punished with leprosy ; 
and Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead as soon 
as they had uttered their falsehood. 

Be not, therefore, secure ; the avenger may come at 
an hour when you are not aware. The next time you 
call for God to damn your soul, he may directly 
answer your prayer. The next time you are intoxicated, 
you may stagger into hell. TLow brittle is your frame, 
and how numberless are the accidents and diseases to 
which you are exposed. " He that being often re- 

15* 



346 LECTURE XXII. 

proved, hardenetli his neck, shall suddenly be de- 
stroyed, and that without remedy." 

Secondly^ The Punishment was Strange. There had 
been nothing like it before ; there has been nothing 
like it since. Every judgment of God is called " his 
strange work :" and he is said to " come out of his 
place," when he " punishes the inhabitants of the 
earth for their iniquity :" for '' merci/ " is his "sea^." 

But sometimes, to surprise and alarm a world un- 
impressed by his ordinary operations, he invests his 
dealings with a novel attribute or appearance, in 
order to give them effect. " Is not," says Job, 
'^ destruction to the wicked ? and a strange punish- 
ment to the workers of iniquity?" We are not 
always to infer the guilt of men from their peculiar 
sufferings ; as our Lord teaches us with regard to 
the " eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell ;" 
and the worshippers " whose blood Pilate mingled 
with their sacrifices." Yet singular crimes are some- 
times followed with as singular visitations ; so that 
men are constrained to say, " Yerily there is a reward 
for the wicked : verily he is a God that judgeth in 
the earth." 

What various and singular plagues did God bring 
upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians ; and what surpris- 
ing calamities were also inflicted upon the Jews. 
Although such instances of extraordinary punishment 
are less common now than they were formerly, because 
less necessary under the present dispensation; they 
do still sometimes occur, and in such a manner as to 
leave us unable to withstand the conviction, " this is 
the finger of God." 



lot's wife. 347 

Do not imagine tha-t God can punish you, only as 
he has punished others. Fear, which magnifies all 
other evils, here falls short. "Who knoweth the 
power of his anger ?" His capacity for punishing is 
boundless. His treasures of wrath are inexhaustible. 
Every creature, from an archangel to a worm, is 
ready to avenge him of his adversaries. Think in 
how many parts thou art vulnerable. Every faculty 
of thy soul, every particle of thy frame, opens a pas- 
sage to misery. Thy imagination can torment thee 
to distraction : a single thought may vex thee to 
death. 

Thirdly, The Punishment was Ignominious. She was 
not only executed, but left, as it were, hung in chains, 
a public and lasting spectacle of aversion and horror. 
All sin is a disgraceful business ; and though a man 
may glory in it for a time, it will sooner or later bring 
him to shame. 

This is not unfrequently the case even in the pres- 
ent world. What disgraces have attached to some 
individuals even here ! Their sins have found them 
out ; and have deprived them of the esteem and con- 
fidence of mankind; and have only left them in 
society to be scorned and shunned. Take the intem- 
perate. Drunkenness often covers a man with rags. 
Take the lewd. " A wound and dishonor shall he 
get ; and his reproach shall not be wiped away." Well 
does the Apostle ask, " What fruit had ye then in 
those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the 
end of those things is death." And truly does Daniel 
declare, " They shall awake to shame and everlasting 
contempt." 



348 LECTURE XXII. 

Fourthly^ Her Punishment was Inevitable. As 
nothing could mitigate her offence, so nothing could 
prevent her doom. The advantages of relationship 
have sometimes been available ; and so, Noah's family 
were saved for his sake. But although Lot was a 
just man, and variously honored of God,~ yet you 
see that he had no power to secure the wife of his 
bosom, however dear. It is only personal religion 
that can save us. Pious connections are blessings, 
but they are not our sureties for good. " Begin not," 
said John the Baptist, "to say within yourselves, 
We have Abraham to our father." The rich man in 
hell was a child of Abraham. And says the Saviour, 
" There shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing 
of teeth, vfhen ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and 
Jacob, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves 
thrust out." 

We proceed to notice, III. The Admonitiojst : 
" Remember Lot's wife." 

First^ We learn from this, that it is well to Instruct 
by Example. Grammarians, and rhetoricians, and all 
teachers, in proportion as they are wise and wish to be 
useful, employ this method. Example is above pre- 
cept ; it shows us the possibihty of the thing in the 
performance; and thus it reproves indolence, and 
encourages hope, and stimulates endeavor. God, 
who, in his word, "has abounded toward us in all 
wisdom and prudence," has therefore given us so 
much of the history and actions of the saints, and 
command us " not to be slothful, but followers of 
them who through faith and patience inherit the 
promises." 



349 

But this is not all. We learn, Secondly^ tliat Bad 
Examples may he 'profitable^ as well as Grood; and 
that threatenings, as well as promises; and judg- 
ments, as well as mercies, are not to be lost upon us. 
Hence tliey have been divinely registered. "Go ye 
now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I 
set my name at the first ; and see what I did to it 
for the wickedness of my people Israel." " Hast thou 
seen that which backsliding Israel hath done ? She 
is gone up upon every high mountain, and upon 
every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. 
They refused to hearken, and pulled away the 
shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not 
hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant 
stone, lest they should hear the law : therefore came 
a great wrath from the Lord of Hosts " " JSTow these 
things were our examples, to the intent we should 
not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither 
let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted, 
and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, 
as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed 
of the destroyer. Now all these things happened 
unto them for ensamples; and they are written for 
our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are 
come." 

But, the depravity and infatuation of mankind I 
"When," says Josiah, "thy judgments are in the 
earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn right- 
eousness " — and such is their design, and such their 
adaptation: — ^but he adds: "Lord, when thy hand 
is lifted up they will not see." They turn away 
their eyes from everything that would awaken in 



360 LECTUEE XXII. 

them a salutary alarm. " I have overthrown some of 
you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye 
were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning : yet 
have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." 
" Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, 
that they may follow strong drink ; that continue 
until night, till wine inflame them ! And the harp, 
and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in 
their feasts : but they regard not the work of the Lord, 
neither consider the operation of his hands." 

Thirdly^ We learn hence, The use and Importance 
of Memory. Memory is not only a wonderfal power, 
but it is the source of numberless pleasures and pains, 
and the instrument of ^ unspeakable good or evil. 
Like every other faculty of the mind, it has been 
injured by the fall ; and the consequence is, that 
while we easily remember what we ought to forget, 
we as easily forget what we ought to remember. 
Hence a Puritan writer says, "The memory is like 
the mill-sifter, that lets through the flour, and keeps 
in only the bran." But as nothing can affect and 
influence us excepting as it is in the mind, and as 
we have so many calls and excitements to remem- 
brance, let us pray that our memories may be renewed 
and strengthened. 

"Eemember Lot's wife." We observe Fourthly^ 
That the meaning exceeds the expression. Though it 
intends nothing less than remembrance, it requires 
much more. Be it, therefore, observed that there is 
a speculative remembrance, and there is a practical 
remembrance. The former is necessary to the latter, 
but is not sufficient without it, especially in all 



lot's wife. 351 

moral and religious concerns. When Solomom says, 
" Eemember thy Creator in the days of thy youth ;" 
he cannot mean a mere act of recollection, but such a 
remembrance of God as shall be productive of all 
those feelings, affections, and actions which he re- 
quires. 

A man might be able to call to mind the case of 
Cain, and of Achan, and of Judas, and all the judg- 
ments recorded in the Bible, so that a preacher could 
say nothing on these subjects that would be new to 
him ; and yet he may not " hear, and fear, and turn 
to the Lord." And of what avail will this be ? Yea, 
it will be a curse instead of a blessing : for " to him 
that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it 
is sin." " He that knew his Lord's will, and did it 
not, should be beaten with many stripes." 

Therefore, when you read '^ Eemember Lot's wife ;" 
say, I am not only to believe the fact, but to consider 
it, to apply it ; I am to ask myself, what am I to learn 
from this awful event? and I am to pray, "Lord help 
me to lay it to heart, and prove it to be profitable for 
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in 
righteousness." 



THE END. 



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